Wine Cup

[David Bose]

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2898/14112793010_169c2eb889_b.jpg

Canon T2i + 100mm f/2.8L macro 1/1800 f/4.0 ISO 100 EV +1/3 Handheld


I went for a walk this morning on my property to capture some spring images before the summer heat and drought turns everything brown and came across a Wine Cup flower mixed in some tall native grass. The sun was shining inside the flower which illuminated it like a light bulb. This is pretty much as-shot with a small crop on the bottom and adjusted background saturation. I haven't used my 100L much since buying it at Christmas.


C&C welcomed

Thanks,
David

[Jonathan Ashton]

Nice lighting and an unusual background, I wonder if the flower would look better presented as vertical as opposed to on the slant? There appears to be a slight halo around the top of the flower - not too sure why? Bet you will use that lens more and more now spring is here!!

[David Bose]

Thank you Jonathan. I actually was wondering the same thing about it possibly being better vertical, maybe I'll try another shot tomorrow. I see the halo and I'm thinking it was the way I adjusted the background, using the adjustment brush in Lightroom. I could probably zoom in tighter make it less noticeable. I'm sure there is a better method using PS but I am very new to PS.

Yes I will use this lens more but most likely the flowers won't be around too long unless we receive more rain.

[Diane Miller]

Wonderful light on the flower, and good sharpness.

The adjustment brush in LR is not very precise. PS will give you more careful selection tools, but not easy to explain here. Try Select > Color Range to separate the flower from the BG. Or Topaz ReMask is hard to beat -- not intuitive but easy to use once you go thru the tutorial and make notes.

I don't think I see a need to desaturate the BG here. If it was golden dry grass, it could be a wonderful complement to the flower, or if green, still good.

[David Bose]

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5570/14306452835_8a537c27b3_c.jpg


This is the same image but I started over with minimal LR adjustments. Very slightly cropped the top, bottom & right sides, backed off highlights -100 to reduce the distracting glow of the seed heads in the background, adjusted Whites +50 and Blacks -48. Then in PS I cloned out a small stem that was going out of frame from the lower stem. The background appears a little busy but it looks more natural.

[Diane Miller]

I prefer this version. I'd think about some crop (or partial opacity cloning or blurring, or both) at the top and bottom to remove or soften some of the BG -- it is a little distracting, but fortunately the part near the flower is good. A little repositioning as you compose will often work wonders for BG issues, and the depth of field button can help you see how the BG will look in the final picture. As you compose you are looking through the lens at the widest aperture. It will stop down to make the exposure, often changing the appearance significantly.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi David. A beautiful flower! I, too, prefer the colors in the background of your repost. Some good suggestions above for you to consider. In terms of the comp (which is always subjective), I would suggest something closer to your original post - but with a little off the top and a little more room on the left such that the stem isn't coming out of the corner. :S3: I look forward to seeing more of your work here in Macro!