Carol Sheppard
August 2026 - Garden Macro Purple Fantasy
Original
About the Image(s)
This was taken several years ago, and I've always liked it, but I wanted to play with it a little. I used my Canon with a dedicated Tamron macro lens (always my favorite Macro lens), and there wasn't anything special about the set-up. Handheld, so it would have had to be a very fast shutter speed. Very little noise, so I assume my ISO was quite low. Aperture is ??? I would love to get opinions also on which you like better (if either) between the fantasy one and the original. Somewhere, the actual original exists without the "box." The lesson: always make a copy to save of your original before you start manipulating the image and keyword it so that you can find it again!!
7 comments posted
You've got me puzzled, Carol. The "original" looks like a more developed image than the main one. Did you create the "original" in the past, lost the true original, and then worked it up to the main image? Or the reverse, which seems more likely, to me?
Posted: 08/01/2026 07:27:49
Posted: 08/01/2026 07:27:49
I love you new version! So soft and dreamy. Was the original supposed to be the flower bending through a window? Must have taken tons of work to expand the green background for the new photo. Would love the hear how you processed the new one! Posted: 08/01/2026 12:46:05
Well, it's a weird one for sure. I had an image from a garden...sharp flowers, soft background. I really liked the image and it printed well. Somewhere along the way, I used it to play with textures and adding this "box" effect. So I have one I have intentionally softened; then I have one I have added the box and texture to. But the actual original-original which I can't find :-( was sharp on the flowers and soft (as you see it) on the background. I made a mess when I added the texture and box, as you can see, but I still liked those flowers! Posted: 08/17/2026 01:44:30
Sounds complicated. Nice end result ! Posted: 08/17/2026 15:18:12
I definitely like the new version. There is just enough sharpness on the large purple flower to give the overall image some interest and the rest fading away creates a nice supporting cast. The slight lens flaring also creates some interesting textures. Posted: 08/20/2026 21:25:39
Thanks, Jeff. It felt almost like working with a Lensbaby. Posted: 08/21/2026 15:04:12
Carol, I like this image, it feels ethereal and almost like a painting. The purple is beautiful and I like the softnesses of the background. Posted: 08/21/2026 19:24:19