Carol Heffernan
November 2024 - Closed Reflection
Original
About the Image(s)
This is an image I submitted to the Naples Botanical Garden Water Lily competition and won first place in Black and White. I keep wondering what else I could have done to it, so would welcome suggestions for future use. I used Lightroom, PS, and Topaz to get it sharper and less noise. I feel lucky to have the garden nearby, plus it always raises my spirits to walk there.
6 comments posted
Posted: 11/08/2024 20:00:47
Carol, This is a gorgeous image of a flower. Quite sharp with tiny drops of dew on the petals. The distraction, for me, was the leaf between the flower and its reflection. I liked the flower so much, I wondered what it would look like without the reflection, thereby being able to use a crop eliminating the distraction of the leaf. Here it is for your interest. Posted: 11/08/2024 20:06:41
Alec, thanks for the idea to crop more. You're right, so many ways to edit, I was just glad to get a white flower that I didn't overexpose Posted: 11/18/2024 01:27:01
Carol,
Very nice shot. I agree with Alec about the sharpness and the dew drops. Respectfully to him, though, I prefer your original crop for two reasons: Personally I like reflections, so I would not crop that out, and secondly my eye gravitates to very sharp bits, and in this shot the sharpest bit to me is the thing in the lower left side of the shot next to the reflection. Alec's crop eliminates that along with the reflection. I like the sharp/less sharp play of the 4 main elements in your original crop. And l do think it looks much better in B&W...the contrasts and sharper and more noticeable. I can't think of what else you could do with it apart from playing with different crops, as Alec did. As he said, it's then a personal choice as to which crop you like best. Posted: 11/11/2024 15:57:20
Very nice shot. I agree with Alec about the sharpness and the dew drops. Respectfully to him, though, I prefer your original crop for two reasons: Personally I like reflections, so I would not crop that out, and secondly my eye gravitates to very sharp bits, and in this shot the sharpest bit to me is the thing in the lower left side of the shot next to the reflection. Alec's crop eliminates that along with the reflection. I like the sharp/less sharp play of the 4 main elements in your original crop. And l do think it looks much better in B&W...the contrasts and sharper and more noticeable. I can't think of what else you could do with it apart from playing with different crops, as Alec did. As he said, it's then a personal choice as to which crop you like best. Posted: 11/11/2024 15:57:20
Rick, glad you liked it. So hard to take white flowers, with details and all. I felt lucky to catch it. I tried for the reflection and took probably 20 shots to get it. Posted: 11/18/2024 01:31:21
Hi Carol:
I love mirror images. This one has my eye jumping back and forth between the flower and the reflection and I'm trying to wrap my brain around what it up and what is down. When I go over to your original image, I don't have that issue. I believe the black and white image is cropped well but I would have to say that I like the colored image better if cropped. The fact that we are all trying new things is wonderful. Posted: 11/20/2024 18:14:25
I love mirror images. This one has my eye jumping back and forth between the flower and the reflection and I'm trying to wrap my brain around what it up and what is down. When I go over to your original image, I don't have that issue. I believe the black and white image is cropped well but I would have to say that I like the colored image better if cropped. The fact that we are all trying new things is wonderful. Posted: 11/20/2024 18:14:25