Karen Botvin
July 2025 - Pair of peonies
Original
About the Image(s)
This month’s image was shot with my Nikon Z7-2 mounted on a tripod with a 24-120 f/4 lens and tethered into CaptureOne. The camera settings were set at ISO 100, 3s, f/16 at 31mm. When tethered, very few adjustments are necessary (aside from cropping) because what you see is what you get. I exported the image into Photoshop to make a few adjustments to the saturation as I wanted to give the image more of a vintage feel and needed the pink to be less vivid. After making the saturation adjustment I sent it into Nik 8 Color Efex and added the Glamour Glow filter at about 40% and the border to make it look like a an old film photo. Comments are always appreciated.
10 comments posted
Karen,
I love both photos and I admire your intent to create a vintage picture free the original. Maybe it would work better if you changed toe format to sepia, which would certainly make it more vintage looking. I say that because, as it is, it doesn't look like a creative image to me, just adjustments to the original to improve it. I am the nasty one in this group who complains that many of the images I have seen are not really creative. I would like to see this further afield from the original. If you look at the definition of creative you will seee that just applying a sipe correction or filter does not really qualify. But both images should do well in pictorial. Posted: 07/05/2025 23:07:46
I love both photos and I admire your intent to create a vintage picture free the original. Maybe it would work better if you changed toe format to sepia, which would certainly make it more vintage looking. I say that because, as it is, it doesn't look like a creative image to me, just adjustments to the original to improve it. I am the nasty one in this group who complains that many of the images I have seen are not really creative. I would like to see this further afield from the original. If you look at the definition of creative you will seee that just applying a sipe correction or filter does not really qualify. But both images should do well in pictorial. Posted: 07/05/2025 23:07:46
My bad, I should have read the definition of "creativity" that is used for this category by PSA. I think the title of the category is misleading as it would have been better named, "Altered Reality". That is not my style, nor do I wish it to be so I will be leaving the group. Posted: 07/23/2025 17:26:25
This is a lovely image but I am struggling to see much difference to the original apart from the border. Perhaps you need to be more adventerous? Posted: 07/10/2025 10:44:03
A lovely still life but I have to agree with the others - you need to work on it more. Posted: 07/11/2025 18:49:17
Thank you, Robin. It is a still life. See my response to Joan for more explanation. Posted: 07/23/2025 17:27:47
Karen, I take your point. Sorry to see you go. Best of luck. Posted: 07/23/2025 17:32:23
Hi Karen, I hope you see where we are going with our comments. Last month I gave you a couple of resources to look at for creative images. This month I just did a couple of quick edits to your image in PS. I removed the background. Then I used Place Embedded (FILE menu) to add a new background from my own background files. Then I changed the blend mode to Linear Light and the Fill to 25%. Finally I added a Linar Gradient Layer from the Purple group to blend it all together. Flying Flowers! Going forward, I hope to see you try to use more than filters.
Your image is sharp and while I wouldn't say I like the 50/50 split of the table/wall, the flowers are nicely muted to match the table cloth. Posted: 07/14/2025 21:34:06
Your image is sharp and while I wouldn't say I like the 50/50 split of the table/wall, the flowers are nicely muted to match the table cloth. Posted: 07/14/2025 21:34:06
Thanks, Bob, for your instructions. Your edits to my image leave the vase suspended in air, not something that I would do, but I guess it would meet the "altered reality" definition more appropriately! Posted: 07/23/2025 17:30:04
Hi Karen, I wouldn't suspend them in space either. As I said, they were just quick edits. Creative images should take more time than filter images. Just depends on what you want from joining this group. Posted: 07/23/2025 21:00:57
Barbara doesn't want to rename the "Creative" groups, so we are constantly trying to get new people to adhere to the main point of building Creative images in PS. If ever you wish to expand the use of PS on your images let Barbara know. Posted: 07/23/2025 23:11:26