Judith Lesnaw
May 2023 - Iris Dreams
Original
About the Image(s)
For my image this month I present "Iris Dreams". I was drawn to the
graceful furls of this flower's petals. I shot it on site in my garden with a
Canon EOS R 5 and Canon RF 100 mm Macro lens. Because there was
a slight breeze and the camera was hand-held, I set the ISO to 1600. For
a dreamy effect I set the aperture to 2.8 in aperture priority. The shutter
speed was 1/8000.
The resulting image was "a bit" overexposed, yet when I studied it, I saw
something that kept me from deleting it. (I wont say what I saw until
you have had a chance to comment.) I imported the image into
Lightroom Classic, cropped, and ran it through Topaz Photo AI. Back in
LR I experimented with different settings until I saw the version you see.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
6 comments posted
Lovely complimentary colors and I share your love of the curve. However, the out of focus leaves on the right side are distracting to my eye. I might prefer it cropped to just include a bit of the area. I'm not sure if I would remove, soften or leave the circular items which I like but may compete with the softness of the main subject. Posted: 05/10/2023 16:15:14
Thank you so much for your suggestions. I will experiment with them and see what emerges. Posted: 05/10/2023 17:33:51
I really like the colors in this, and the way the leading lines lead the eye to the main focal area. The only thing I find a little distracting, and it might just be me, are the large water drops, on the lower left of the petal itself. For some reason, to my eye, they don't look like bokeh or water drops. But the color and subject is delightful.
Posted: 05/11/2023 14:28:28
Posted: 05/11/2023 14:28:28
Beautiful complimentary colors in this flower. Like Mike I find the large amount of out of focus blue petals on the right overwhelm the center of focus which to me is the yellow feathery object (I know it's part of the flower just don't know what it's called). I think Mike's crop is an improvement. If you could photograph it again maybe take a step to the left if possible to try and eliminate the blue petals or hold them out of the way. For me the focal point and most interesting part is the yellow with the water drops and the curving lines in the leaf it is resting on. Posted: 05/12/2023 16:40:27
I think this is a beautiful color palett and I can see why you chose it for your subject. I believe the effect you were going for was sharp stamen and supporting filaments surrounded by a sort of classical blur. Like the others though, for me too much of the image is out of focus. I think if water drops are included on a blossom it is important that they be very sharp. If you decide to repeat this shot you might consider positioning your camera so that the center structure is on a diagonal, as I believe that would strengthen the composition. Fortunately, summer is just beginning so we will have lots of opportunities to photography all kinds of flowers. I will look forward to seeing more of them from you as the months go on. Posted: 05/16/2023 19:46:03
I love the colors, but I do think that the purple leaves on the right are distracting and I think that you could have a stronger image if you moved in closer to the yellow part of the flower. I took a flower course with Kathleen Clemons and one of the tips she gave us was to use a diffuser when shooting in sunlight. I have a small one and a "plamp" that can clip on a tripod which really helps to get even light on the flower! Posted: 05/17/2023 09:14:49