Backlit wild teasel

[Jerry van Dijk]

I just can't get enough of the flowers of this species. Luckily for me, they're a ferocious weed in my backyard. We keep a few of them each year. In winter, we get European goldfinches who feed on the seeds.
I tried something differnt here, going for a B/W high contrast backlit image. I added just a touch of sepia to make it less harsh.
I still doubt whether to remove those spider threads.

D7000, Nikkor 200mm f/4 Micro, handheld, ISO-500, f/18, 1/160, EV -1.7.
Reduced exposure in ACR, cropped for composition, sharpness.
B/W conversion in CS5 with Maximum White settings, adding a bit of sepia tint.

[John Robinson]

That's a different take ! Good one - one of my favourite plants too. If the goldfinches don,t come most photographers sprinkle niger in the tops !!! Ooops -thats naughty.
Lookingat your pic again I can,t help expecting to see a face in the central dark area !! Like a head with spikey hair and a spikey neck !
Cheers
John

[Ron Conlon]

Very nicely done in all aspects. I love it.

[Diane Miller]

What a great idea for a teasel! Works so well! And the subtle toning is perfect.

I could go either way with the spider webs, but might remove the larger one.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Good idea Jerry I like the image, it is good to see something different. I wonder if you had left the image in RGB you could have possibly just selectively retained the browns thus making them a little more apparent??

[Jerry van Dijk]

Thanks Jonathan. This was a fresh one, so it was still green. I didn't like it in color as much as in BW. I could add a little more of the brownish tint in PP.