David Terao
April 2026 - Growing Through
Original
About the Image(s)
While shooting crocuses at a local park in early March, I found this crocus growing through a dead leaf. It was difficult to shoot because the flower was located in a dark, cluttered area low to the ground. But it was such an unusual find. I admit the composition is a little bottom heavy, and the crocus wasn't as colorful as others nearby. I used Photoshop's remove tool to eliminate some of the distracting flowers and leaves in the image. I used the camera's touch screen to focus bracket nine areas of the image, and I focus stacked the images in Helicon Focus. Shot with a Panasonic Lumix GX9 with and Olympus 30mm macro lens on a small tripod. Exposure was 1/80 sec at f/9.0 and ISO 400.
10 comments posted
David, I love this composition - 'Life rising from the ashes' -or at least that is my interpretation. The flower and leaf are in sharp focus and you captured the detail and textures in the dead leaf. My only suggestion would be to zoom out and capture more of the surrounding environment, particularly on the sides and top of the image. Very nice! Posted: 04/06/2026 12:41:27
I agree. I should have taken another shot from a little further back. Instead, I used PS Generative Expand tool to do it. Posted: 04/06/2026 19:15:33
Kim Kowalewski
Such a cool capture! It's amazing to see a crocus growing through those relatively small openings in the leaf. I like the composition, exposure, and color saturation. You also made the right edits by removing the other flowers. (Photoshop did an amazing job filling in the areas behind the flowers you removed.) Yeah, maybe you could have removed a little off the bottom, but you couldn't have removed very much without ruining the uniqueness of the capture. However, I would have included a little more space at the top of the image so it doesn't looks like the flower is crammed into the frame. In addition, the small leaf above the flower is a little distracting not only because it's touching the flower, but also because it's in focus. I would blur (or remove) that leaf. Posted: 04/06/2026 18:00:10
I removed the leaf above the flower. Great suggestion! I also expanded the image top and left side using PS's generative expand tool. Posted: 04/06/2026 19:16:17
What a unique capture and story this image tells. You picked up all of the textures in the green and dead leaves. I like your decision to remove the other flowers, but also think you could remove the leaf that is overhanging the top of the flower. I would also suggest adding a little more room at the top.
Good eye to see this interesting composition. Posted: 04/06/2026 19:03:24
Good eye to see this interesting composition. Posted: 04/06/2026 19:03:24
It seems the consensus is to add a little more room on top and blur or remove the leaf hanging over the flower. I gave it a shot in Photoshop. See revised image above in Mark Bamberger's post. Posted: 04/06/2026 19:17:50
I agree with the others on this image. Love the detail in the brown bottom leaf. A polarizer would have removed the shine on the background leaf in the middle. Great shot. Posted: 04/07/2026 00:24:10
Thanks, Dick. Yes, I need to take my polarizer with me when I go out to shoot. In this case, I didn't think it would be necessary because it was in a shaded area. But, I can see how a polarizer might even reduce the glare from the sky with no direct sunlight. Posted: 04/13/2026 11:31:54
Hi David,
You've found a very interesting story in this shot, with the crocus growing through a dead leaf, and you've done a fine edit in removing distracting elements. I agree with the other comments about giving a bit more room at the top of the image. Posted: 04/12/2026 20:21:36
You've found a very interesting story in this shot, with the crocus growing through a dead leaf, and you've done a fine edit in removing distracting elements. I agree with the other comments about giving a bit more room at the top of the image. Posted: 04/12/2026 20:21:36
Thank you, Maria. I did add some room at the top as shown in my reply to Mark above. I didn't want to focus attention so much on the flower itself. Posted: 04/13/2026 11:34:09