Connie Reinhart  


Dogwood Dreams by Connie Reinhart

November 2019 - Dogwood Dreams

November 2019 - Connie Reinhart

Original

About the Image(s)

A dogwood tree lives in our backyard. It has grown almost three-fold since we moved here 52 years ago. It fills our view with soft blossoms in the spring and red berries in fall. It is now so large that squirrels and birds can explore its branches without disturbing each other. We have many photos of this marvelous tree in every season of the year. This particular shot was used as a thank you card after last Christmas. In the drab dreary weather of January we could all use a few dogwood dreams. It was entered in the digital art category of a local art show last spring and won honorable mention. It was taken with a Canon 5D Mark II, set on auto (I was being lazy). The jpeg was opened in Camera Raw, but essentially processed in Topaz Studio as a plug-in for Photo Shop. I never recorded the steps, but most likely used AI Clear, Precision Contrast, and Precision Details. I wanted it to look like a watercolor with pen-and-ink details filled in. This was probably accomplished with either a pre-set or a combination of adjustments.


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




Georgianne Giese   Georgianne Giese
I love the texture, as well as, the inked lines in this image. The delicate colors and structures in the flowers remind me of a Chinese painting. This is absolutely lovely, in my opinion.   Posted: 11/08/2019 13:33:47



 
I love what you've done with this photo. You've managed to get quite a bit of detail into the flower petals, which adds a lot of interest. And I like the colors that also add interest. You've left behind a number of the blue background highlights; I think making them disappear would make the image stronger. Also the border could be less saturated, so it would not compete with the image. Here's how that would look.   Posted: 11/08/2019 21:22:45
Comment Image
Connie Reinhart   Connie Reinhart
Yes, Witta. I agree about fixing the background. As to the border, I picked a color from the blossoms just to make the image stand out from the black background. Thank you for your comments.   Posted: 11/10/2019 18:31:25



 
This is a nice image. I like the detail in the flower petals. And I like the contrast of the petals with the background.
One thing that I did find distracting was the two branches on the upper left side of the picture. I found their blurriness distracting, and while I understand why they're blurry, they stand out because none of the other branches are that blurry. My eye unfortunately goes right to them.
I would suggest that if you can't sharpen them up, then you might take them out of the image.   Posted: 11/11/2019 12:24:33



Bunny Laden   Bunny Laden
(Group 43)
You did a great job making this image look like a pen-and-ink drawing. It is a wonderful effect. For me, the y-shaped twig and its companion at the top left is a bit distracting and detracts from the pen-and-ink illusion. You might consider removing them. I like the texture of the background because it adds interest and complements the outline of the flowers.   Posted: 11/17/2019 12:55:06



Mary Hinsen   Mary Hinsen
Hi Connie. This is lovely - like painted Chinese silk.
I too would remove the blurred twigs and also just the bright blue spot on the upper left.
I like the texture in the background, it all works really well together :)   Posted: 11/26/2019 18:53:19



Connie Reinhart   Connie Reinhart
You are all so right about that out-of-focus branch and the lighter blue patches in the background. I always have blind spots when it comes to my images. Mary, thank you for the phrase 'painted on Chinese silk'. That's the look I was seeking.   Posted: 11/28/2019 21:22:26