Rich James
April 2026 - High Key Rose
Original
About the Image(s)
I took a workshop on high key flower photography last weekend and this was one of my images. The original is straight out of camera while the final is cropped, stems erased, some clean up on the white areas, structure added to the rose and a wee bit of saturation. Shot with a Sony A7r5 and a 70??“300 mm Sony G lens and post processed in Luminar Neo
7 comments posted
Nice! Perhaps a little more depth of field would help the out of focus parts - like the stem and leaf and perhaps the top of the bud as well? Good job though. Posted: 04/04/2026 15:59:01
Rich, A beautiful Rose and a perfect choice for high key. So Marti mentions a little more depth. And you failed to tell us what you shot it at. Modern day cameras record that for each image. Maybe you were "snowing" us because you really wanted real snow. :-) I think I would have dropped the highlights on the subject and the bud, just enough to remove those white areas. Posted: 04/07/2026 01:04:24
Bob, it was shot at f5/6, 125/s, and 100 iso at 152 mm against a white background. Posted: 04/12/2026 22:00:03
Ok, that explains the shallow depth of field. I know that camera lens combo can shoot higher than the f5/6 so did you have a specific reason you wanted to make it less than as sharp as possible. Ah yes, now I have that answer. You took that class from Kathleen Clemons and softish is important for those flower profs, but here at PSA and at many camera clubs (and I have good reason to believe that you know this) Sharp or Extra sharp is the word. Sorry to burst your bubble, but trash me if I'm incorrect and please tell us. Posted: 04/13/2026 04:10:27
Bob, I believe I made the F stop choice based on the distance the background was from the rose. The background had many imperfections that I did not want to appear so I tried (and failed) to get just the blossom in focus and not a bit of the background. I was also hand holding the camera so keeping it at 125th sec. is what I'm comfortable at. With regards to PSA liking flowers in focus, some of my favorite flower images show only a small portion of the subject in focus and I find that this creates a certain dreaminess that can only be captured in photography or through an artist's paintbrush. Posted: 04/13/2026 17:25:19
I agree your additional image is beautiful and I'm guessing that did well in competition? You clearly are showing a background out of focus and in your rose there was nothing to show that intent or that the white background was in focus or not. I didn't find it objectionable but was picking up on Marti's comment and my thinking (now not likely, Sorry) that you had intentionally made it soft. Knowing that the background had issues, I might of backed up went to 300mm and increased the iso so that you had a shutter speed that you could hand hold. I've had to practice this all the time because I'm no longer holding steady under 1/500 sec. I also use a Nikon feature called back button focus which I push giving me auto focus while I rock back and forth. Some with intention and some with old age. Posted: 04/15/2026 00:21:54
This is just a gorgeous rose and I like the high key approach of the orange colour of the rose against a stark white background. Personally, I think the rose as well as the top bud could be soften a little around the edges to blend a bit more into the background leaving the inner petals sharp. I've whiten the background more and lighten the rose's outer petals using curves adjustment layer. I've taken the liberty of how I envisaged this lovely image. It's just my perspective. Posted: 04/19/2026 10:43:27