Judith Lesnaw
July 2026 - Coneflower
Original
Original 2
About the Image(s)
Last Thursday I visited the Calder Gardens in Philadelphia where an abandoned lot was transformed into a public garden. The staff planted native plants on a hill that was constructed on the grounds. As I looked up the hill into a pre-storm sky, I noticed several purple coneflowers on the hilltop. I photographed them with an iPhone 16 pro max; imported the image into Lightroom Classic, cropped, and then in Topaz AI upsized, sharpened and denoised. Back in LRC I made basic tonal adjustments. I also experimented with a more abstract version in NIK 8 colorefex. I would appreciate comments on both versions.
3 comments posted
I'm glad that you explained the context for the photo--the fact that an abandoned lot was transformed into a public garden. That helps to explain why you shot it as you did--to tell the story of the hill that was constructed to plant flowers on. So, as photojournalism, it's effective at communicating the story of the lot. In that way, I like the idea of shooting upwards. You are telling the story of life emerging from the abandoned lot. An interesting idea. I think I like the color one better because it communicates something new and life giving in a way that the other doesn't as much, in my view. Posted: 07/02/2026 21:53:39
I'm torn between the color version and the abstracts one but lean slightly toward the abstract. It adds a nice grunge feel that makes me think of a post apocalyptic scene. On the color one, I do find the small patch of dark blue sky distracting and would either lighten it up or clone it out. Posted: 07/06/2026 10:53:51
I really like that you took a low perspective to shoot these beautiful flowers. It gives a sense that they are reaching for the sky and the sun. I feel that if you had taken the shot at their level it would have just been another flower photo. I am also drawn to your abstract version. I like the toning in the ground and in the clouds while still maintaining some of the color in the flowers. Posted: 07/13/2026 02:36:15