Bill Provost  


Blue Ecstasy by Bill Provost

September 2019 - Blue Ecstasy

About the Image(s)


How I Did It: This month’s submission is an image of a Morning Glory flower that we grow. An interesting flower in that it “goes to sleep” at night. This requires that I have to wait for the bud like flower to open up in the morning. The image was made using a Nikkor 40 mm F 2.8 lens set at 1/60 sec, f 3.2, ISO 400 with a resolution of 300 on a Nikon D800 camera. I cropped some of the image, did some adjusting to the color and a little sharpening. This was a challenge as the clear part of the flower reflex a lot of light and has a tendency to be overexposed. I really like the flower and always look forward to it blooming in late summer. For your enjoyment.


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




Denise McKay   Denise McKay
(Group 77)
Beautiful colors in the photo Bill. I also like the angle and composition. I do find my eye drawn to the chewed up area on the leaf, above the flower. Had you considered trying to clone that out? Also, I think I'd like to see a little more of the bottom of the flower since just the edge is cropped out.

I can see why you really like these flowers!   Posted: 09/10/2019 15:23:08



 
If your are talking about the white area on the leaf if you look closely you will see that it is part of the leaf. I could have cloned that area out but in my opinion that would be like manufacturing the image. I try to use the image as taken limiting my corrections to what is in the photo. Thanks for the comment however.   Posted: 09/11/2019 16:22:58



Bob Crocker   Bob Crocker
(Group 57)
Luv morning glories as well; such great climbers. Beautiful color on this shot but I agree that maybe a higher crop would keep the viewers eye from wandering off the image.   Posted: 09/15/2019 15:53:43



Carol Sheppard   Carol Sheppard
(Group 95)
The stunningly rich purple of the flower against the dusty green of the leaves gives this great impact. My favorite area of the leaves is in the lower left corner where the light hits it.

While much of the leaves work well for leading the eye, I find the speckles in the upper right hand corner distracting to me as a viewer. I don't know if it's the lightness, the softness or just the presence that draws my eye in a negative way.

I wonder if a close crop from the right would put more emphasis on your flower and that beautiful leaf on the left? Just a suggestion.
  Posted: 09/15/2019 16:19:14



Where I grew up, morning glories are mostly white. The vibrant color in this one is beautiful. The luminosity of a flower like this one makes it a more challenging shot, and you nailed that beautifully. My eye did go to the dark edge on the flower at about 2 o'clock, and then I found myself distracted by the spots on the leaf. I occasionally struggle with the decision to edit or not when it comes to blemishes or natural elements that occur in nature. I have loved an image on camera until I notice a dead flower or leaf in the background. I try to decide right then if I will opt for post edit or shoot in a different angle or a new flower right then. I lean towards editing to perfection, although not always successfully, so the viewer will appreciate the overall subject without distraction.   Posted: 09/19/2019 10:38:42



 
I think you have a good composition and colors in this image. I'm curious about what appears to be a white light at the flower's core - did you backlight it?   Posted: 09/24/2019 11:21:46