Connie Reinhart  


Something Shiny by Connie Reinhart

November 2020 - Something Shiny

November 2020 - Connie Reinhart

Original

About the Image(s)

As a yardsale denizen, I find many interesting objects, most of them for under $1. This was a horizontal vase shaped like a tiger lily. I’ve tried many times to use it in a tabletop arrangement, but am usually disappointed. Wait – maybe combine it with a real tiger lily. Like the Cheshire cat, the real lily kept fading until all that was left was the stamens. My best effort yet. The vase was nestled in a fluff of black lace, lit by window light. There is no original of the tiger lily, just used the shot with the best stamens. F/8, 1/100 sec, ISO 1250. Processed in PS using Topaz and NIK filters. Each step on a separate layer. AI Clear, Topaz Star Effects for a little bling, vignette using NIK Darken/Lighten Center.


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




Ally Green   Ally Green
What a great image and good job on you with your creative skills! At first i thought you had photoshoped the stamens in but when i read your description i was even more impressed! I like the simple elegance and the bit of bling to add sparkly. Detailing in the glass is excellent and you have enough detail in the black lace giving it a sophisticated edge. Good job!   Posted: 11/10/2020 13:37:20
Connie Reinhart   Connie Reinhart
I love the starbursts, but they are easily overdone. Since this is really a fantasy image, I used a large size. The real tiger lily is masked, so it could fade in and out until something clicked.   Posted: 11/10/2020 15:32:46



Carole Kropscot   Carole Kropscot
What a clever setup! It is gorgeous. The star effect is very effective. You can do it with a "star" brush in Photoshop, too. I appreciate the fact that the background isn't solid black as is often seen. Lovely and fully of bling!   Posted: 11/10/2020 14:45:06
Connie Reinhart   Connie Reinhart
I have played with various brushes and still don't know how to get the effect I'm looking for. Yes, more practice.   Posted: 11/10/2020 15:34:22



 
You did a great job with a "hard to photograph" image. Definitely shiny but well exposed and nicely presented. The orange stamens make the image pop and the starburst adds the finishing touch. I added a 4 pixel stroke - color taken from the image in order to make the image stand out on the black background. Recently saw a video suggesting using Camera Raw at end of processing to check for bright highlights. I did that and there were only a few too bright spots on the top flower. I lowered the highlight slider and fixed it. To see the effect of the stroke click on the object and view it on the black background.   Posted: 11/14/2020 16:57:59
Comment Image
Carole Kropscot   Carole Kropscot
What a good idea to check for totally burned out highlights! It seems as if I almost always lower the Highlights in many images, but I do it first rather than last!   Posted: 11/18/2020 19:17:48



 
A color key is a great choice here - well done! The vase is sparkling, the highlight of course is the little star. But the showing of the texture in the black background I like too.   Posted: 11/21/2020 23:46:50



 
I found this to be a very interesting choice. The vase with the black ground really made it stand out. Did you have to do anything to handle the lighting ? It's hard to tell where the source was. I really felt the tiger lily was a great touch.   Posted: 11/27/2020 20:53:33