Emil Davidzuk
July 2024 - Cana Leaves
Original
About the Image(s)
A great St Louis BW photographer, Jack Curran, had a category of images called Botanicals that I am paying tribute this month. Jack has passed away sadly but he influenced many of us here. It had just stopped raining so I decided to try my hand on the Cana leaves growing locally. I think it is a challenge to figure out to get a shot that has good BW potential since they grow in such a hap hazard manner. More shots needed for training.
Workflow: I rendered the image using NIK Silver Efex. I then went to LR Classic and decided to flip the image horizontally so the light spots around the subject big leaf balanced better. I used the adjustment brush to work the light and dark areas.
Camera: Olympus OM-1 Mk II, Leica 45mm Macro F2.8, 1/500 sec f2.8 -1/3EV ISO 200
This round’s discussion is now closed!
7 comments posted
Posted: 07/01/2024 22:42:51
Well done
The beauty of these plants is there are 9 ways to Sunday to render them. The hard part is getting a good starting point with your camera
Emil Posted: 07/02/2024 16:46:55
Great photo, I added texture to the center petal and brightened it with the Luminar 4 filter.
In Photoshop I added a vignette around the center petal.
What do you think?
Sincerely,
Israel Posted: 07/07/2024 11:00:53
Nice image. I do like the way you converted the image to monochrome. The only area where I could think of improving the image is with the making the center leaf more prominent. Like Pete, I tried a couple of techniques to highlight the center leaf a little more. Upload my version. Just of out of curiosity, I noticed you flipped your image. What was your thoughts around flipping the image?
Thanks,
Chris Posted: 07/15/2024 23:55:18
Loved Jack and really miss him. He really got me into monochrome after many years ignoring it. I told him that to me he was Adams on steroids..
Re your image, i love the composition but find the bright leaf in the top left a bit distracting. So I too played with it a bit. Use two radial masks in lightroom to darken and reduce the highlights of the offending leaf and brighten up the primary subject a bit.
Your thoughts? Posted: 07/17/2024 16:14:02
Mark's suggestion further bring the focus to the texture of the middle leaf.
This group has given me many ideas for mono images. Thank you group.
Posted: 07/17/2024 21:09:29
A very, very beautful photo: I love it.
There is not much I can add to the other comments apart from the fact, that I probably would go for a lower dynamic (as Emil and Israel did) because then the raindrops get more attention. But this is obviously a question of personal taste.
Thanks and best regards, Adrian Posted: 07/24/2024 12:57:31