Sabine Nehls, QPSA, EFIAP
April 2026 - Spring on Lake Lugano
Original
About the Image(s)
Our destination in March was Lake Maggiore. Picture-perfect weather, endless photo opportunities, from the azure waters to the snow-capped mountains. There were also charming promenades lined with plane trees and camellias, typical Italian sandstone houses, and everything immaculately maintained.
On the return journey, we stopped at Lake Lugano. We strolled along the promenade to Ciani Park. The path along the lake lined with beautifully landscaped flowerbeds bursting with spring blossoms.
I was particularly captivated by the fully blooming pink tulips.
Almost from ground level, I tried to capture the tulips in the light, ensuring the mountains on the opposite side formed the background.
In post-processing with Photoshop, I subtly sharpened and brightened the foreground to enhance the luminosity of the tulips and the intensity of the blue pansies.
I darkened the background slightly to make the clouds visible again.
Cropping was done last.
Sony DSC-RX100, f11, 10 mm, 1/100 sec. ISO 125, exposure 0.7
aperture priority
13 comments posted
Hi Sabine, what a beautifully captured scene! I really love the work you did in post-processing; making the tulips brighter and more vibrant truly brings the image to life.
The composition is wonderful-I particularly like the foreground of those beautiful pink tulips and how they are perfectly proportioned against the blue sky and the mountains in the background. The luminosity you've achieved in the petals makes them look almost translucent in the light.
Fantastic shot! Posted: 04/01/2026 16:21:32
The composition is wonderful-I particularly like the foreground of those beautiful pink tulips and how they are perfectly proportioned against the blue sky and the mountains in the background. The luminosity you've achieved in the petals makes them look almost translucent in the light.
Fantastic shot! Posted: 04/01/2026 16:21:32
Linda, I'm glad you like my picture. I was immediately captivated by the pink tulips too. Posted: 04/10/2026 08:29:28
Sabine,
This view is gorgeous, the tulips with the water and mountains in the background. Shooting low gave this photo a great perspective. I love that you brought out the sky and detail in the mountains. While I love that you brightened the flowers, for me, they may be a bit too bright as to almost look unreal against the background. But overall the image is beautiful! Posted: 04/01/2026 22:58:56
This view is gorgeous, the tulips with the water and mountains in the background. Shooting low gave this photo a great perspective. I love that you brought out the sky and detail in the mountains. While I love that you brightened the flowers, for me, they may be a bit too bright as to almost look unreal against the background. But overall the image is beautiful! Posted: 04/01/2026 22:58:56
Sylvia, thank you for your suggestion. I will take another look at the picture when I have more time, paying particular attention to the tulips. Posted: 04/10/2026 08:33:55
I am envious of your experience at the lake -- what a magnificent venue!
Two comments about your photo:
1. I love that one of the tulips is framed exactly at the intersection of the two mountains which form a "v" pointing to the flower.
2. The photo doesn't feel like a photograph to me -- more of a painting or watercolor. Perhaps the post processing limited the depth and texture of the scene.
Regardless - it's a joy to look at. Posted: 04/04/2026 10:48:07
Two comments about your photo:
1. I love that one of the tulips is framed exactly at the intersection of the two mountains which form a "v" pointing to the flower.
2. The photo doesn't feel like a photograph to me -- more of a painting or watercolor. Perhaps the post processing limited the depth and texture of the scene.
Regardless - it's a joy to look at. Posted: 04/04/2026 10:48:07
Douglas, thank you so much for your interesting post.
I'm not entirely sure what you mean.
"The photo doesn't feel like a photograph to me-more like a painting or watercolor. Perhaps the post-processing limited the depth and texture of the scene."
I think you see it like Sylvia does: the tulip blossoms no longer look realistic due to the post-processing, they draw too much attention and thus disrupt the overall impression/mood?
Let me know what I could change. I'm curious.
Of course, you're welcome to edit my photo too.
And, Italy is beautiful. Why not travel to Europe sometime? Posted: 04/10/2026 08:59:18
I'm not entirely sure what you mean.
"The photo doesn't feel like a photograph to me-more like a painting or watercolor. Perhaps the post-processing limited the depth and texture of the scene."
I think you see it like Sylvia does: the tulip blossoms no longer look realistic due to the post-processing, they draw too much attention and thus disrupt the overall impression/mood?
Let me know what I could change. I'm curious.
Of course, you're welcome to edit my photo too.
And, Italy is beautiful. Why not travel to Europe sometime? Posted: 04/10/2026 08:59:18
Stephen captured my thinking -- paintings and photographs -- interaction is fascinating! Posted: 04/10/2026 19:50:09
(Group 32)
Great shot. I really like the near and far.
Douglas raises an interesting discussion of the media interaction between photography and painting. I agree that many photographs are painterly, and many paintings are photographic. Posted: 04/05/2026 17:29:08
Douglas raises an interesting discussion of the media interaction between photography and painting. I agree that many photographs are painterly, and many paintings are photographic. Posted: 04/05/2026 17:29:08
Thanks, Stephen, for your comment. I like both photography and painting. I find it particularly challenging to transform a photograph into a painting. In my opinion, Sylvia succeeded with her April picture. Posted: 04/10/2026 09:10:03
Hi Sabine, Love the happy Spring feel of Spring on Lake Lugano. The pink and yellow tulips are so vibrant against the green leaves. The view showing the mountains and lake gives the viewer a sense of location. It also gives the photo a unique look which leans toward travel photography.
I agree with Sylvia and Douglas about post editing taking away from the beauty of the original tulips. I like the edited color but there seems to be a line around the edge of the tulips. I'm not computer savvy enough to suggest a correction. But I did try to offset the flowers with a little more detail in the sky. Posted: 04/11/2026 13:54:44
I agree with Sylvia and Douglas about post editing taking away from the beauty of the original tulips. I like the edited color but there seems to be a line around the edge of the tulips. I'm not computer savvy enough to suggest a correction. But I did try to offset the flowers with a little more detail in the sky. Posted: 04/11/2026 13:54:44
Posted: 04/11/2026 14:02:49
Sabine, when I first looked at your photo, I thought you had painted the flower blossoms in the foreground. Then when looking at your original photo and reading about the minimal post processing work you performed, I was surprised and impressed. The scene with its water, mountains and clouds are beautiful and well composed. The color contrast between the very sharp and brightly colored flowers with the softly lite landscape background is so striking, I could be convinced that the whole scene is illusory, or a scene from a child's fairytale. As I review your image, I notice that there are three tulips that touch the far shoreline. I'm not sure that is a distraction at all, but it is something I notice every time. The photo is a powerful and beautiful image. Very well done. Posted: 04/13/2026 03:26:17
Sabine, what a beautiful scene you found! I really like the flowers in the foreground and the lake and mountains in the distance. What little I have seen of Italy, it has made me want to see more of it. This photo confirms that.
My initial thought of the image, though, was that the flowers were added to the photo of the lake and mountains. Reading your post and looking at the original, I see that is not the case. As others have suggested, I think you may have over sharpened, or over processed, the foreground a bit too much. My suggestion would be to back off on that a little for a more natural contrast between the foreground and background. Regardless, it is a very nice image. Posted: 04/16/2026 00:02:09
My initial thought of the image, though, was that the flowers were added to the photo of the lake and mountains. Reading your post and looking at the original, I see that is not the case. As others have suggested, I think you may have over sharpened, or over processed, the foreground a bit too much. My suggestion would be to back off on that a little for a more natural contrast between the foreground and background. Regardless, it is a very nice image. Posted: 04/16/2026 00:02:09