Carol Heffernan
July 2024 - The Orchid King
Original
About the Image(s)
I love gardens and we have a wonderful one near us that we belong to. Their orchid area has unusual orchids that remind me of faces, dancers and more. I’ve been trying to capture the ‘human’ look of one of them, so I tried one from my latest trip. I wish I’d used a higher F stop so even the ‘arms’ were in focus as well as the ‘body’, but I liked the ‘face’. I hate carrying a tripod (and it's not really allowed), but think that might make it better.
Nikon D7500 60mm micro lens, iso 1000, F 3.5, 1/500 sec
Steps-
Import to Lightroom Classic
Remove Chromatic Aberration
Enable Profile Corrections
Edit Topaz Photo AI
Sharpen
Denoise normal
Save to LR
Mask 1 orchid
Duplicate and invert mask (mask 2 - background)
lower exposure, highlights, shadows, whites
color tint -30
saturation -10
Effects
Texture 20
Clarity -40
Dehaze 26
Sharpen17
total image
contrast 6
shadows 11
highlights 13
Vignette -20
Edit in PS
duplicate layer
clone top left leaves and smooth out stem
Save to LR
mask 1 Orchid
contrast 20
shadows 20
highlights 2
color
temp 5
saturation 5
effects
texture 9
clarity 7
dehaze 14
Mask 2 brush top of orchid
effects
texture 8
dehaze 11
detail
noise reduction
overall image
sharpen
vignette -12
This round’s discussion is now closed!
10 comments posted
Carol, you've captured a face and crown and I can see a beard if you'd altered the color pallette! Yes, a tripod would have allowed a sharper image but as you note, they don't allow that. Were there architectural or other natural or furnishing artifacts that you might have propped the camera on, and set a shutter delay to take a picture with as little disturbance as possible?
Most impressive is the workflow you've laid out with such precision. I thank you for the image and for that primer! Posted: 07/10/2024 00:23:32
Most impressive is the workflow you've laid out with such precision. I thank you for the image and for that primer! Posted: 07/10/2024 00:23:32
Thanks Zina. I didn't think of propping the camera on something, but most of the orchids are hanging from trees, so maybe I'll sneak it in next time (haha). I think I got a bit carried away with workflow, so will summarize next time. It did make me think about it more tho. Posted: 07/17/2024 21:58:55
I have a love hate relationship with my tripod. It's such a necessity but hate to travel with it. In this case I believe the use of photo stacking would have allowed you to capture focus on all areas of the orchid. I'm not sure how I would have handled the stem which is a slight distraction. I also might have cleaned up the little hairs on the photo. Posted: 07/17/2024 17:27:41
Lori, thanks for the idea of focus stacking. I've been thinking of challenging myself to learn and try it, but am taking a PSA Photoshop class to improve my skills and just don't think I have time to learn challenge myself with that. I think I may look around for a photo friend who wants to try it in the fall. I darkened the stem dark so the flower didn't seem to be floating around, but I didn't want to really see it in the image. A choice, but maybe someone else has an idea. I liked the hairs on the flower, but after re-seeing them, I could have removed a few. I was amazed that orchids have them. Posted: 07/17/2024 22:05:15
Carol,
Very nice shot of a really unusual plant (at least in my frame of reference!). Your workflow detail shows how hard you worked on it across 3 different software platforms. Re: tripod comments, personally I take my tripod almost everywhere except when it is prohibited (fairly compact carbon fiber Manfrotto), but I'm not sure how much sharper it would have gotten your image without changing the camera settings. The center of the image looks quite sharp to me, so I don't sense an issue with camera movement. I think the limitation, as with most flower close-ups, is depth of field. To me it looks good and sharp around the face, drops off a little as you look down the "beard" and out along the "arms". But I think it looks nice this way, and would not be so quick to jump to focus stacking which sometimes can make an image look almost too perfect. In this case, because the tips of the arms are a bit out of focus, it has the effect of forcing my eye to the face in the center, which to me is the right focal point for the image.
I do like the way you de-emphasized the stem in your edit, but I wonder since you were back and forth into Photoshop at least a couple of times whether you could have gotten rid of it entirely with the PS Generative Fill tool. On the other hand, getting rid of it entirely might have made it look completely disembodied, so maybe the dimmed down stem the way you have it is the best option. I do agree with Lori that there are a few hair-like distractions (one in particular on the left "cheek" of the face and another half way down into the beard) that should be easy to get rid of with a healing brush. But all in all a nice shot. Posted: 07/17/2024 22:01:03
Very nice shot of a really unusual plant (at least in my frame of reference!). Your workflow detail shows how hard you worked on it across 3 different software platforms. Re: tripod comments, personally I take my tripod almost everywhere except when it is prohibited (fairly compact carbon fiber Manfrotto), but I'm not sure how much sharper it would have gotten your image without changing the camera settings. The center of the image looks quite sharp to me, so I don't sense an issue with camera movement. I think the limitation, as with most flower close-ups, is depth of field. To me it looks good and sharp around the face, drops off a little as you look down the "beard" and out along the "arms". But I think it looks nice this way, and would not be so quick to jump to focus stacking which sometimes can make an image look almost too perfect. In this case, because the tips of the arms are a bit out of focus, it has the effect of forcing my eye to the face in the center, which to me is the right focal point for the image.
I do like the way you de-emphasized the stem in your edit, but I wonder since you were back and forth into Photoshop at least a couple of times whether you could have gotten rid of it entirely with the PS Generative Fill tool. On the other hand, getting rid of it entirely might have made it look completely disembodied, so maybe the dimmed down stem the way you have it is the best option. I do agree with Lori that there are a few hair-like distractions (one in particular on the left "cheek" of the face and another half way down into the beard) that should be easy to get rid of with a healing brush. But all in all a nice shot. Posted: 07/17/2024 22:01:03
Rick, Thanks, I just answered Lori and then saw your comments addressing exactly what I thought from her comments. Thanks for the comments and I see you get the floating flower idea. I will 'shave' the hairs that I now see as distractions. It's funny how we view an image, think it's done, and then having someone else's eye (or a group's eyes) helps make it better. Posted: 07/17/2024 22:10:07
Carol, It's a very pretty and colorful image. Great work that you did in post! The image is intriguing, since the flower can almost look like an insect with eyes and a nose. Depth of field is always a problem with that kind of shot. Posted: 07/18/2024 20:57:22
Thanks Alec. I went back to the garden yesterday to try to retake the orchid using flash and/or more depth of field, but they were gone. Guess I'll wait till next year to try with them, but will try it with other flowers. I love that many of the orchids look like faces, dancing ladies, and more. Posted: 07/21/2024 22:18:28
This is a very lovely and impressive image. The composition is good and the color pallate is charming. One can make out the facial features and the crown on the head.
You have gone above and beyond in describing the technical steps/workflow.
This image might have benefitted from focus stacking as others have said. Posted: 07/28/2024 16:00:11
You have gone above and beyond in describing the technical steps/workflow.
This image might have benefitted from focus stacking as others have said. Posted: 07/28/2024 16:00:11
Thanks Pauline, I plan to try focus stacking when I get motivated to learn it. Right now I'm struggling with PS class (PSA one) and just not totally getting it. So much to learn, so many things to photograph, much to improve, and so much fun out there... Posted: 07/30/2024 19:03:24