Kieu-Hanh Vu  


Bird of Paradise  by Kieu-Hanh Vu

May 2023 - Bird of Paradise

May 2023 - Kieu-Hanh Vu

Original

About the Image(s)

This image was captured at Brookside Gardens in MD last month. The background seems quite busy, so I replaced it with a black one to make the flower stand out more.

Exif data: Canon 7D Mark II, Tamron lens 18-400 mm, ISO 160, F/5, Speed 1/800.


This round’s discussion is now closed!
7 comments posted




Michael Hrankowski   Michael Hrankowski
Hi Kieu-Hanh. Nice portrait of this Bird Of Paradise. The image appears sharp and well-exposed and the lighting is pleasant. I like how you isolated the flower and set it against a black background. Good choice.   Posted: 05/14/2023 05:32:19



Ruth Sprain   Ruth Sprain
Kieu-Hanh, I like how the black background makes the bright orange and red of the flower pop. The parts of the blossom are sharp and well lit. The simplicity of the setting works well for this pretty Bird of Paradise.   Posted: 05/14/2023 12:48:13



Mary Ann Carrasco   Mary Ann Carrasco
Kieu-Hanh, I love bird of paradise and you have captured this one very nicely. It is very sharp and the lighting is perfect. The choice of black background really brings out the flower. Nicely done.   Posted: 05/14/2023 18:00:53
Kieu-Hanh Vu   Kieu-Hanh Vu
Thanks Michael, Ruth, and Mary Ann for your comments.   Posted: 05/22/2023 09:21:26



Joan Field   Joan Field
Kieu-
And that has made all the difference. The bird of paradise was lost in that busy background and you did an excellent job extracting it so you could place it in the black background. What method did you use for the extraction. Did the subject filter work in PS? It is a lovely photo now and well worth the effort it took to make such a clean extraction.   Posted: 05/19/2023 15:28:54
Kieu-Hanh Vu   Kieu-Hanh Vu
Thanks, Joan for your comments!
To answer to your question, I extracted the flower using the Quick Selection tool in Photoshop to select it, then used Refined Edge to refine the selection, and output as New Selection with Mask for any further adjustment. Since the color of the flower is different than the background, it only takes me a few minutes to get it done.   Posted: 05/22/2023 09:30:39



LuAnn Thatcher   LuAnn Thatcher
Hello Kieu-Hanh,

Your flower this month is lovely! The color palette is vibrant, and the angle is suitable for viewing. I agree with your choice that using a black background helps the subject stand out.

What my attention is drawn to is the aperture setting of f/5. I suggest a narrower aperture so more of the flower is in sharper focus. I could not tell where the focus point was, be it on an orange leaf, blue petal, or spathe from which the flower emerges. Getting a sharp focus is a common challenge for photographers. So I recommend (in this instance) taking several shots using different aperture settings. Then when you are at home editing your photos, you will have more choices.

On a side note, if you shoot moving subjects, you will want to use different shutter speeds.

Hope this helps.

lt   Posted: 05/23/2023 10:08:04