David Terao
March 2025 - Alstroemeria
Original
About the Image(s)
Also called a "Peruvian Lily," I bought a bunch at Trader Joe's and shot several variations in my home studio. This variation was the most interesting in which a macro lens and diffused LED lighting was used. The image was focus bracketed in three groups for a total of 99 stacked images. To get the dappled lighting look, I reduced the overall exposure in Lightroom by about 3 stops and painted the exposure back in local areas with a brush.
8 comments posted
Amy Murphy
The intense closeup almost creates an abstraction which caused me to look more closely and really see what is going on. I like an image that makes me think. I am trying to wrap my head around 99 stacked images. Your effort yielded a good result. Posted: 03/05/2025 08:50:50
Thank you, Amy. The 99 stacked images weren't all shot at one time. I shot 33 images of the foreground petals, 33 of the stamen, and 33 of the background petals. Posted: 03/06/2025 05:11:32
Alstroemerias are interesting flowers and great to shoot. I like how you worked the lighting and brought it back to a pleasing result. Nice detail in and around the stamens. Nice work. Posted: 03/05/2025 19:57:39
Thank you, Dick. I've seen alstroemeria in our local, public garden, and I've tried shooting them there. But they were difficult to shoot because I couldn't move them around or step into the flower bed to get the right angle. It was a lot easier buying a bunch from Trader Joe's and shooting them at home! Posted: 03/06/2025 05:14:33
Hi David,
The amount of detail in the stamens of this lily is amazing-I can even count the tiny grains of pollen!
You did a great job capturing this image. I would suggest a different approach to editing. I find that reducing the exposure by three stops introduces a lot of black into the flower's color, which diminishes the visual impact of its beauty and detail.
I brought it into Photoshop, slightly reduced the luminosity of the flower's colour, increased the light around the stamens, and tried a different crop. I hope you don't mind!
Posted: 03/06/2025 05:40:46
The amount of detail in the stamens of this lily is amazing-I can even count the tiny grains of pollen!
You did a great job capturing this image. I would suggest a different approach to editing. I find that reducing the exposure by three stops introduces a lot of black into the flower's color, which diminishes the visual impact of its beauty and detail.
I brought it into Photoshop, slightly reduced the luminosity of the flower's colour, increased the light around the stamens, and tried a different crop. I hope you don't mind!
Posted: 03/06/2025 05:40:46
I very much like what you did to this image and am flattered that you spent time working on it! I especially like your crop, making the background petals more symmetrical. I actually shot the alstroemeria flowers several ways - "backlighting," "shooting through," "light-painting" (this image), and "straight" like yours. Your version is much better than mine! Posted: 03/06/2025 06:48:24
Hi David,
Alstroemria are small flowers, and you did a great job capturing the fine details with your macro lens. I like your low key presentation with the lighter stamens emerging from darkness. Maria's crop works well. Well done. Posted: 03/08/2025 12:02:57
Alstroemria are small flowers, and you did a great job capturing the fine details with your macro lens. I like your low key presentation with the lighter stamens emerging from darkness. Maria's crop works well. Well done. Posted: 03/08/2025 12:02:57
Thank you, Barbara. I don't often shoot flowers from a grocery store, but in this case I was playing around with different ways to shoot these alstroemeria at home. Posted: 03/12/2025 05:30:46