Pitcher Plant Flower

[Norm Dulak]

Canon PowerShot S90
ISO 800; f/7.1, 1/80 sec.
Std. CS6 adjustments, crop; OOF meadow photograph used as bkg

I am always fascinated by the carnivorous plants at the Longwood Gardens Conservatory. I thought that this Sarracenia sp. flower on a recent visit was particularly beautiful.

Norm

[Jonathan Ashton]

Good and sharp and I like the composition. The colours are rich and pleasant also. I think you have a good idea with a background showing some variation in colour and brightness. It may be worth de saturating the background a little bit - especially bottom left - WDYT?

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks, Jon. I'll play around with the background a bit per your suggestion.

[Ron Conlon]

Nice vivid colors, nice diagonal. We need something to generate ideal backgrounds on the spot which can complement the subject perfectly. I would love to know how this could be done...a background which works great for one, is so-so for another, and terrible for yet another. This background is good, but could be improved should someone find the solution...

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks, Ron.

[Diane Miller]

Nice detail and color on this one. I agree with Jonathan re the BG in the LL. The rest is good, with nice detail.

As long as I was carrying BG card, I'd make a two-sided one, and then why not stack two together -- at least you have some choices. With a cleanly-outlined flower such as this one, it's easy to do a careful cutout and substitute a BG in PS, too.

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks Diane! But what would you suggest be on the back of the two-sided card?

And as for the extraction/paste idea, wouldn't that move photographs out of this forum and into Out of the Box?

[Diane Miller]

I just meant put a different BG on the back so you can have two different ones to try -- maybe with different color schemes for different subjects.

No idea if putting in a different BG in PS would be off limits here. I'd like to know, too -- although I don't think I've ever done it here. I'm into the final artistic result, with whatever techniques get it. If it still has the reality of the subject and the BG, why not? Is that so different than holding up a printed card? After all, a completely in-camera OOF BG isn't "natural" either. I don't think I can see a clear limit.