Henry Heerschap  

Skunk Cabbage by Henry Heerschap

May 2023 - Skunk Cabbage

May 2023 - Henry Heerschap

Original

About the Image(s)

My wife and I were hiking in Cape Disappointment State Park in Washington State recently and were concentrating on the flora along the way, including the flowering skunk cabbage. This huge plant grows in abundance in the Pacific Northwest and is known for its particularly foul smell. I was drawn to the textures of the leaves and flower more than the color, so I quickly decided that a monochrome treatment was called for. Processing started in Lightroom Classic using the B&W 04 profile as well as cropping and exposure adjustments. I took it into Photoshop for additional cleanup. I also used Nik Color Efex Pro to access the Detail Extractor, Glamor Glow, and Tonal Contrast controls.

Sony A7R IV, Sony 100-400 lens. ISO 100, 400mm, f/13, 1/200 second, Shot handheld.

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

Jim Hagan   Jim Hagan
Great image which works so much better the color original. I really like the composition. In my revision I sharpened just the flower and darkened some of the white areas.   Posted: 05/06/2023 06:55:11
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Jim Hagan   Jim Hagan
I also photograph skunk cabbages here in Toledo Ohio. They are very interesting in that they generate their own heat and will blossom in late winter. Attached is my photograph of a skunk cabbage just emerging.   Posted: 05/06/2023 07:01:27
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Henry Heerschap   Henry Heerschap
I think your skunk cabbages are more interesting than ours. Nice image.   Posted: 05/06/2023 14:06:03
Henry Heerschap   Henry Heerschap
Thanks, Jim. Good suggestions. I went back and forth on the exposure adjustments, but your version works well in my view.   Posted: 05/06/2023 14:04:56
Michael Hagan   Michael Hagan
Great image Henry. I do like the mono over the color version. In the original, I thought the yellow could be more yellow, so I tried to bring out more of the yellow using Ps CRAW Filter. Topaz AI to sharpen and Silver FX for mono conversion with custom settings. I enjoyed working on the image, but I think Jim's version looks great. I don't think I have come across these plants before, I will be looking for them.   Posted: 05/06/2023 07:48:54
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Henry Heerschap   Henry Heerschap
Thanks, Michael. Some great ideas there.
I've learned that there are two distinct skunk cabbages in the US - Symplocarpus foetidus which is common in the East and NE down to Tennessee; and Lysichiton americanus which is in the West coast and Mountain west. They seem to be pretty distinct from each other.
Who knew?
  Posted: 05/06/2023 14:11:41
Jim Hagan   Jim Hagan
Henry, thanks for mentioning that there are two varieties. I was wondering why the flowering portion of your west coast image looked so different from my east coast skunk cabbage.   Posted: 05/06/2023 18:56:01
Jim Bodkin   Jim Bodkin
Great study in shape and texture, Henry.

Being a nature photographer, I find both the color and mono versions attractive. I agree that Jim's version of the image is an improvement, however I am surprised that no one mentioned removing the 'black dot' on the leaf 11 o'clock from the blossom. In nature photography we can't remove things, but in PID you can and often remark on it. Just a suggestion to clean up the image.

  Posted: 05/08/2023 17:26:40
Henry Heerschap   Henry Heerschap
Thanks for your thoughts, Jim. You are absolutely right about that black dot. I completely missed it. It's a challenge to be objective about our own work sometimes.   Posted: 05/09/2023 11:32:09