Murphy Hektner, APSA
March 2023 - Bower
About the Image(s)
Nikon D700 with Nikon 200 mm macro lens on tripod. ISO 400 --- ½ s @ f/20 --- cloudy --- no wind --- soft gold reflector --- one image. Post Processed in Elements 2020.
Glory Bower is a small bushy tree native to Japan; in early summer it flowers with a white flower that has a wonderful sweet aroma. Then later in the summer it forms red petals around dark bluish purple berries and is simply stunning.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
8 comments posted
Lovely colors lovely composition Nice and sharp A WOW image Posted: 03/08/2023 15:30:42
Murphy - what a gorgeous photo - you did great with the colors and keeping the flowers and front leaves sharp with the soft background! Posted: 03/08/2023 18:38:40
This is a wonderful image, with a clean presentation, a simple yet effective composition, and a nice array of color. I am beginning to see your personal style emerging in your submissions. For the most part the main subject sands out nicely, with the exception that the green leaves on the main branch are blending into the background and some of the background elements are beginning to compete with the main subject. These issues can be effectively delt with by selective darkening of the background while partially lighting the subject's stems. Many of your images have clean simple presentations of the subjects yet tend to be a bit flat in conveying a sense of depth. This can be addressed with more use of selective lights to highlight your subjects a bit more effectively. I have included a version of this image which illustrates my thoughts. If you would like to review how this was done, let me know and perhaps we can set up a quick Zoom session. Posted: 03/13/2023 14:19:56
Hi Charlie: Great idea to darken the background, never gave that a thought. The red surround and the purple-blue berries stand out better, thus more impact to the image. Posted: 03/13/2023 21:34:01
Charles, it is always a pleasure to read you comment and suggestions. Posted: 03/20/2023 03:50:11
Here the challenge is to see the image as others see it. It was so easy to focus upon the red and blue blooms, and how well they stand out, while overlooking what is going on with the leaves in the lower half. It is so easy to overlook these things with our own shots. Seeing our images as others do is an advanced Photography skill and emerges with experience. Posted: 03/14/2023 12:22:36
Hi Murphy, Sounds like a very interesting tree with the two different color blooms. This version of colors are so complimentary of each other it makes for a very beautiful and strong photo. I am not advanced enough to catch the background needing any correcting at all. But, seeing Charles' version it really does make a big difference. I will have to start looking much deeper into each of my photos. You called your summer photo "simply stunning" and I completely agree. Nicely done Murphy. Posted: 03/14/2023 19:44:52
I like the composition and the different colors.
I also appreciate the green leaves in the foreground, they are very sharp.
The suggestions of Charles are indeed interesting. Posted: 03/20/2023 04:21:51
I also appreciate the green leaves in the foreground, they are very sharp.
The suggestions of Charles are indeed interesting. Posted: 03/20/2023 04:21:51