Jodi Carlino
May 2023 - Deep Purple
Original
About the Image(s)
I shot this flower at Longwood Gardens. It is one of my favorite botanical gardens to visit. I was fascinated by its deep purple color and its uniqueness. I wanted to give it a painterly feel.
The crop and all basic edits were done in LRC. In Photoshop, I added a textured image and blended the layers. I followed Carol's instructions and made my first attempt at toning down the distracting highlights in some of the leaves.
To accomplish this, I added a new blank layer in PS, selected a soft round brush set and set the opacity to 15%. I used my eyedropper tool to select a color adjacent to the highlight and used the brush tool to gradually paint over the highlights to tone them down. Thank you, Carol:)
Finally, I added a subtle vignette and keyline stroke in Photoshop. Looking forward to your comments.
Nikon D750, 24-120mm at 120mm, aperture at f/5.0,1/125sec, ISO 800
12 comments posted
The above comments about my image should state that Carol is a very talented PSA member from another DD group who taught me this technique. Posted: 05/08/2023 17:44:20
Hi Jodi, I like the vibrant colour of this flower and the uniquest, beautiful shape. You did very well toning down the highlights, it has removed patches of highlights and helped to concentrate in the flowers itself.My only suggestion could be to reduce a little the texture opacity and cleaned it from the center of the flower and applied a slight vignette to help even more to concentrate in the flower Posted: 05/12/2023 05:55:08
Hi Maria,
Thank you so much for the helpful suggestions. It looks so much better:) Posted: 05/12/2023 09:23:39
Thank you so much for the helpful suggestions. It looks so much better:) Posted: 05/12/2023 09:23:39
Hi Jodi, This is such an interesting flower that you have captured well. I am intrigued with the focus. The front edges of the leaves are as sharp as the flower. The flower itself looks as if it is floating. There must be a stem somewhere that makes the bloom stand away from the base? You did really well with the clean up. I do feel that the texture could be a little more subtle. Posted: 05/14/2023 14:57:10
Hi Melanie,
It's a really interesting flower, right? Thank you! I tried to find the name of the flower, but could not seem to get anywhere with a Google search.
A friend told me about about an iPhone tool that identifies objects! The image must be in your Photos Library and upon opening the image, you will see an 'i' with two tiny stars at the bottom of your screen. If you click the i, an icon appears on your image. Clicking on that icon will identify the subject! Using this tool, I learned that this is a type of poppy:)
Thank you, I totally agree about the texture. Posted: 05/16/2023 10:01:55
It's a really interesting flower, right? Thank you! I tried to find the name of the flower, but could not seem to get anywhere with a Google search.
A friend told me about about an iPhone tool that identifies objects! The image must be in your Photos Library and upon opening the image, you will see an 'i' with two tiny stars at the bottom of your screen. If you click the i, an icon appears on your image. Clicking on that icon will identify the subject! Using this tool, I learned that this is a type of poppy:)
Thank you, I totally agree about the texture. Posted: 05/16/2023 10:01:55
Hi Jodi, what an interesting flower and foliage both have interesting shapes. I love the diagonal of the flower in composition. I would crop the image much closer to eliminate the background. To my eye the background is a bit of a distraction. I feel the flower is not as sharp as it could be. With the lens you are using are you using a tripod? I feel the texture is a bit over the top.
You mentioned about the distracting highlights in some of the leaves. Most leaves have a waxy surface and will reflect light called flair. When you get these reflections, you lose detail in these areas. There's no way in post you can recover this information it's lost. The best way to prevent this is to use a circular polarizer on the lens. It will do wonders. As you rotate the polarizer you will see these reflections disappear. I use one on my lens all the time. A polarizer will also improve the colors. In doing close-ups of flowers, I would not want to be with out a tripod and a polarizer. Posted: 05/14/2023 20:44:00
You mentioned about the distracting highlights in some of the leaves. Most leaves have a waxy surface and will reflect light called flair. When you get these reflections, you lose detail in these areas. There's no way in post you can recover this information it's lost. The best way to prevent this is to use a circular polarizer on the lens. It will do wonders. As you rotate the polarizer you will see these reflections disappear. I use one on my lens all the time. A polarizer will also improve the colors. In doing close-ups of flowers, I would not want to be with out a tripod and a polarizer. Posted: 05/14/2023 20:44:00
Hi Dick, thank you for your suggestions and comments. I realize it isn't sharp; the tripod is my nemesis and yet I know it's a must. I will try using a CP. And, I totally agree that I was heavy handed with the texture. I actually thought about cropping it tighter on the right and perhaps on top, but I was afraid someone would say they'd like to see more of the image. Sometimes, my edits are dictated by what I believe others might say. I need to go with my instincts and let the chips fall where they may. Posted: 05/15/2023 11:04:14
This is what I had in mind. Posted: 05/15/2023 13:06:22
Oh wow, you've cropped it way tighter than I did. Thank you for your suggestion. Posted: 05/15/2023 13:45:24
Hi Jody, An interesting flower with a vibrant color. When I look at it, the top of the bud, with its varied petals are most interesting. I desaturated the green a bit to not compete with the vivid purple and then cropped in to showcase the curves and bud. It might not be sharp enough now. I, too, would have used a texture with less grunge effect. Posted: 05/16/2023 12:56:43
Fran, I like what you did! The crop and desaturating the background really makes the poppy stand out. Posted: 05/16/2023 14:39:50
Jodi, you have captured an interesting purple poppy. The members of our group have given you some nice suggestions. Posted: 05/16/2023 15:09:35