Phyllis Peterson  


Australian Cactus Flower by Phyllis Peterson

July 2021 - Australian Cactus Flower

About the Image(s)

Taken in the early morning in Phoenix, AZ. These gorgeous flowers last one day so you have to act fast to photograph them.
I used my Nikon D810 with a 105mm Micro lens. Settings were 1/250 sec at f/4.0 and ISO 200.

I edited it in Lightroom, adjusting the black/white points, clarity, vibrance, cropping, shadows and highlights.


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




David Terao   David Terao
Beautiful cactus flowers! And, three of them as well (Three is always a good number). The flowers appear to be in good focus, and the slightly defocused cacti in the background brings one's attention to the flowers. The white portion of the flowers seems a little blownout, and perhaps you can bring back some of the detail by toning them down a half stop or so locally with a brush in LR or PS.   Posted: 07/01/2021 12:22:30



Cindy Lynch   Cindy Lynch
I love the cactus flowers. You have a strong composition and I really like the blurred background which makes the flowers stand out. The colors are nicely handled - you didn't over saturate the image. I agree with David that the white looks slightly blown out, especially the middle flower. Perhaps using the highlight and/or white sliders in Camera Raw can help.   Posted: 07/08/2021 20:48:33



 
I have a neighbor who has similar cactus with flowers that last only a couple of days. These blossoms are a bit too much for me in this photo. I would like to see them back a little more from the camera. The flowers are nicely sharp with a nice blurred background. I agree with David and Cindy about the strong center white.   Posted: 07/09/2021 17:18:24



Ray Henrikson   Ray Henrikson
Brilliant bit of photography here. An author putting together a manual of cactus identification and anatomy would want your image. I like your use of context identification by using recognizable cactus in the background.   Posted: 07/11/2021 15:09:24



Bai Chuang Shyu   Bai Chuang Shyu
Beautiful blower image. This is the first time I saw the Cactus flower. I also feel the white flower is a bit too bright. Perhaps a bit toning down the intensity and increase a bit of contrast can bring some details.   Posted: 07/30/2021 07:37:32



Phyllis Peterson   Phyllis Peterson
Thanks for your comments, everyone!   Posted: 07/30/2021 16:37:15