Esther Key
July 2024 - Pink Summer Phlox
Original
About the Image(s)
With multiply heat advisories this month neither I or the flowers were in a photographic mood. Sunday it rained and cooled down a bit so our attitudes improved. I went out yesterday but the photos weren’t good. Tonight I tried again and this plant now had flowers and buds that weren’t there yesterday. It was late afternoon and the wind speed was a calm 8 mph. The background was mostly dark but in Elements I darkened it a bit more and cropped it.
Auto: f/stop 1/5, shutter speed 1/125, aperture 3, ISO 450, Focal length 117mm, metering node – Pattern, Camera – COOLPIX P1000.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
5 comments posted
Hi Esther,
Nice colors and texture. I like the darkened background. However, the image appears to be a bit out of focus. I see that it was a bit windy. When it is windy I set my shutter to a high shutter speed to capture sharper details. Your POV captured the beauty of the opened and unopened buds nestled among the green leaves. Posted: 07/09/2024 14:22:30
Nice colors and texture. I like the darkened background. However, the image appears to be a bit out of focus. I see that it was a bit windy. When it is windy I set my shutter to a high shutter speed to capture sharper details. Your POV captured the beauty of the opened and unopened buds nestled among the green leaves. Posted: 07/09/2024 14:22:30
An interesting flower you captured here. The colors complement each other nicely, and I like how you darkened the background. I don't think the wind contributed much to the out-of-focus appearance because I don't see any motion blur. I think the blurriness is related more to insufficient depth of field. The magenta bud tips seem in focus, but some of the green below them appear blurry. To me, the magenta flowers are the primary subjects, and it might help to crop off the bottom third of the image where the leaves are. Also, the open flower is a little blown out, and reducing the highlights in it might improve the overall image. Very nice shot! Posted: 07/10/2024 14:29:15
Interesting flower, like how the buds have a neat twist to them. Great background which makes the flower stand out and gives it nice depth.
When you took the original shot, with the camera metering in pattern, it read the background as too dark. As a result, it overexposed the image. This caused the open flower to be blown out. Areas that are blown out in an image loose detail and cannot be fixed in post. To correct this, you would have to subtract the exposure by one stop maybe more before you took the shot. I also don't feel the image is as sharp as it could be. I might crop off the bottom set of flowers.
I like the stage the flower is in with only two flowers open and the rest buds. To my eye this is better than if all the flowers were open. Posted: 07/12/2024 15:11:17
When you took the original shot, with the camera metering in pattern, it read the background as too dark. As a result, it overexposed the image. This caused the open flower to be blown out. Areas that are blown out in an image loose detail and cannot be fixed in post. To correct this, you would have to subtract the exposure by one stop maybe more before you took the shot. I also don't feel the image is as sharp as it could be. I might crop off the bottom set of flowers.
I like the stage the flower is in with only two flowers open and the rest buds. To my eye this is better than if all the flowers were open. Posted: 07/12/2024 15:11:17
Hi Esther,
You have captured this Phlox in a beautiful way, making it appear interesting. I like how the buds rise up, showing interesting textures, and how the colours complement each others. However, I agree with the other comments about darkening the background and cropping tighter
Posted: 07/13/2024 09:08:47
You have captured this Phlox in a beautiful way, making it appear interesting. I like how the buds rise up, showing interesting textures, and how the colours complement each others. However, I agree with the other comments about darkening the background and cropping tighter
Posted: 07/13/2024 09:08:47
Thank all of you for the suggestions. I am learning to change my photographic methods. Normally I take photos of birds and have to be fast to get in one or two shots. But with flowers I am learning to slow down and look at optional viewpoints of the subjects. Posted: 07/25/2024 13:04:04