Donna Sturla  


Poppy in Yosemite by Donna Sturla

May 2021 - Poppy in Yosemite

About the Image(s)

I was taking a four-day photography class in Yosemite a while before Covid, and saw this some lovely Poppies, The California State Flower, and took a number of photos. This was before I had Lightroom and I did not shoot in Raw ! So it was a .jpg but was taken at F3.8, 1/800 sec., 105 mm. I don't know the ISO. I just took it into Photoshop, made the S-curve on the histogram to give it a little more saturation, and used a slight sharpen mask in the filters. I love poppies !


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




Mark Aksoy   Mark Aksoy
Great use of selective focus here with the shallow DOF! The viewer's attention is drawn to the sharp petal at center. The background is also nicely muted and non-distracting. However, there is "noise" in portions of the background (but not in the flower), which seems to arise from abrupt transitions in pixel brightness from darker to lighter green. You can try reducing this noise using the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom.   Posted: 05/23/2021 14:09:47
Donna Sturla   Donna Sturla
OK, I can try that. Thanks !   Posted: 05/23/2021 17:37:53



Rich Krebs   Rich Krebs
Nice poppy. Not sure why getting the entire flower in focus is not a goal although you said it was jpeg. A higher angle might show the interior of the flower and the parts there.   Posted: 05/24/2021 13:43:45
Donna Sturla   Donna Sturla
I didn't want the entire poppy in focus. This is what I wanted, one part of the petal in focus and the rest soft. It's called selective focus. Maybe it's not your thing, but I like it.
Thanks for your comments.   Posted: 05/24/2021 14:05:36



Doug Wolters   Doug Wolters
I love the selective focus. For my tastes, the line in front of the flower is too soft. How do you like it with a little sharpening? In LR, texture up, clarity a little, sharpening up some.   Posted: 05/26/2021 13:37:24
Comment Image
Donna Sturla   Donna Sturla
To me, it looks digitally altered. But I appreciate your suggestions. I love poppies, the State of California Flower.
Thanks !   Posted: 05/26/2021 14:17:51
Doug Wolters   Doug Wolters
It does look a bit over processed. Maybe with more time...   Posted: 05/26/2021 16:08:38