We are dealing with a heat wave here but I managed to get out in the early morning the day before it hit and do some flower photography.
Shot with Sony A7 IV using 70-200 macro lens at 166 mm. Settings 1/250 sec, f8, ISO 500. Handheld in natural light on an overcast day. The daylily was in a narrow bed in front of a tree covered background so it was naturally dark. There were lots of long leaves everywhere so I decided to clean them up by masking and darkening the background even more. I masked the flower and brightened it up a bit and also increased the contrast. Obviously, I also cropped the image.
I decided to try to eliminate the "floating head" feel after darkening the background, and took it into Topaz Studio 2 and added a colored vignette which I manipulated to move uneven edges close to the flower. Hopefully this added more interest rather than becoming a distraction. I also used some of the tools there to add a bit of a painterly feel to the image.
Looking forward to everyone's feedback.
9 comments posted
David Terao
You captured this day lily perfectly, and your post processing using Topaz Studio 2 was subtle yet transformed the image into a photographic work of art. I like the colored vignette because it has a custom shape, and not the usual oval shape. Posted: 07/01/2026 19:47:43
Denise McKay
Thank you David! Posted: 07/03/2026 20:36:24
Mark Bamberger
A beautiful composition with an elongated flower and soft diffuse lighting. I really like the striations of the yellow and white in the petals. A suggestion would be to reduce the vignette a bit at the top and bottom of the flower to make it a bit more consistent, although this is personal preference. I also noticed an anther is missing from the longest filament (think I got that right?). Not sure what to do other than remove the filament back to where the others emerge? Not sure what difference it would make. Again, very nice! Posted: 07/06/2026 12:08:43
Denise McKay
Thanks for your feedback Mark. It was a personal preference to make the vignette uneven but I may play around with it more to see if your suggestion makes an improvement.
The part of the flower that you think is missing an anther I believe is called a stigma. So it is a different part of the flower anatomy. Posted: 07/06/2026 17:31:20
Dick States
That part of the flower is the female. It is the pistil made up by three parts. The ovary which is inside the flower which we cannot see. If the was an apple flower the ovary develops into an apple. The parts we can see is the style and the tip which is called the stigma. Posted: 07/06/2026 21:20:28
Janet Pinkston
I like the yellow saturation added to the flower and the masterful addition of the natural looking vignette from Topaz Studio 2. I might have been tempted to clone one of the other anther/pistil/stigmas and add it. Posted: 07/09/2026 20:29:43
Denise McKay
Thanks for the feedback Janet! As I mentioned in a different post, there was nothing missing from the flower. This was it's natural anatomy therefore I wouldn't want to alter it. Posted: 07/10/2026 13:57:34
Dick States
Great subject with great composition. Nice soft light and a great background. Do not agree with cloning an anther onto the pistil. Let the flower be the way they naturally are. Changing it would not be allowed in a nature division. I don't know if Dinise wants a soft look which is great. To my eye the image is soft. Nice shot. Posted: 07/10/2026 01:45:19
Denise McKay
I did want a soft look to the image without it looking out-of-focus. Thanks for the feedback Dick! Posted: 07/10/2026 13:55:30
