BC Orchid ' Maikai Mayumi '

[Charles Wesley]

Here's a new addition to my orchid collection. It has some cattleya in it but the bloom is only about 3 inches.

Canon 5D Mk 11, 180 mm Sigma HSM DG f/3.5 with a 12 mm and 25 mm Canon extension tubes. My exposure was 7 sec. @ f/30 400 ISO. I used MLU and the self timer on a tripod. This is taken about 2X.

Canon DPP 3.6
PS/ CS4
Topaz Adjust 3

Hope it's not to fine art. Had difficulty getting a smooth BG for some reason.
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Charlie Wesley
St. Augustine Beach, FL

[Julie Kenward]

I love the orchid, Charles but I'm not too sure about the placement/angle/crop. It feels unnatural at that angle - is this really how the flower would appear? I think lowering the stem to about 2/3 of the way down the side of the frame and letting the flower angle up towards the opposite corner would be a stronger comp but we'll see what others think...

I'd give the background a bit of gaussian blur...you're right that it feels a tiny bit blotchy. Brilliant/beautiful colors in this. It made me smile when I first opened it.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Charles, I have to agree with Jules that the positioning of the stem and flower doesn't feel right. Maybe just a slight tilt of the stem or flower would make it feel less composed.

[Charles Wesley]

Jules & Mike,

Thanks for your critiques. I will need to re-shoot. My magnification was probably more like 3X and therefore my composition was to overcomposed. There are just too many branches/ blooms in the way.
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Charlie Wesley
St. Augustine Beach, FL

[Anita Bower]

The pink against the vibrant blue is stunning! Why not just turn this image instead of reshooting to get better positioning?

[Christopher Miller]

Like the pink on blue color combination, Charles. Very eye-catching. Agree that the composition could use some work. A vertical with the flower higher in the frame might be nice.