Gloria Grandolini

July 2026 - RESILIENCY AND REMEMBRANCE

About the Image(s)

This month’s photo is taken with an iPhone 17 Pro Max. I had no camera as I
flew to Rome for a medical emergency. As fate turned out, my younger sister passed away on May 29.
I did not want to miss a second month with this group, so I decided to use this shot of a Lantana Camara flower
that caught my eye and also made me think of a metaphor remembering my sister.
Rome was extremely hot and these flowers are known for being very resilient at resisting high heat.
This made me think of the courage with which my sister went through the journey of her illness.

I used denoise in Lightroom and I cropped it, I tried to blur the leaves but it did not look good so I left it as is.

IPhone 17 Pro Max - using Macro feature
2.22 mm f/2.2 back triple camera lens
1/175 sec at f/2.2 ISO 40 handheld

4 comments posted

Carol Sheppard

What a great tribute to your sister, and again, I am so sorry for your loss of her. Lantanas are amazing and the Hummingbirds love them. I have just potted two Lantana plants in my back area. I recently added a small screw-on lens for Macro onto my IPhone…so tiny that I leave it on. It seems to do sharp images, but you must be very, very close to your subject. I will try to post an image using this lens next month. Leaving the small buds to the sides of your flower gave it balance, and your lighting is nicely done, some shadow, no overblown highlights, very even throughout. Posted: 07/05/2026 15:48:41

Margaret West

What a colorful flower! The colors are dazzling. When you can use LR I would get rid of the grayish thing in the lower left corner (PS has the remove tool). SO sorry about your sister, I can't believe you could even think of worrying about your macro group at such a difficult time! Posted: 07/05/2026 15:48:57

Jeff Fleisher

So very sorry to hear about your sister...

The colors really stand out and grab your attention. I like the contrast in colors and also the contrast of shape between the red and yellow parts of the flower. I've often commented that the best camera to use is the one you have with you!

There are a few areas around the perimeter that can be removed or modified once you bring it into LR or PS but overall a very nice image. Posted: 07/06/2026 14:21:34

Stuart Ord

I'd agree, it's a pleasing result, lots of attributes.

The closest flower looks a bit soft, but overall the phone has done a good job. It's a pity that most (all?) phones don't offer a variable diaphragm control. Who would choose f2.2? if you didn't have to The small sensor has come to the rescue. Posted: 07/08/2026 20:22:41

PID Digital Dialogue

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