Cacti Bloom

[Ramesh Adkoli]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2497/4201999331_5be377c4ba_o.jpg

Euphorbia cacti buds blooming. Liked the soft colors. Wind and hand holding the camera meant i couldn't stop down further. I felt the shallow DOF added to the effect. Let me know your views.

D700, 105mm Micro VR, 1/60s, f/8, ISO 400, hand held, late afternoon
CNX2, very little PP.

regards,
ramesh

[Ed Vatza]

Personally, I like this one a lot, Ramesh. The mix of sharp and soft seems just about perfect with the sharp edge on the leaf and highlighting a few petals. The colors are great as is the background. Very nicely done.

[Julie Kenward]

The first thing that grabbed me about this image was the color palette - it's perfect for the soft focus of the image. I like the two taller buds more than the shorter one because they both have a mix of sharp and unsharp - I really wish the smaller bud did, too - for me, that would put this image over the top.

One think I'd consider doing is evening out the color of the BG on the right edge of the frame where it is significantly darker and all the way to the URC. I think a smooth BG for this soft focus and soft color palette might just be the way to go.

Lovely image overall, Ramesh.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Ramesh, very nice comp, and the soft pastely colors look great. Good DOF.

[Ramesh Adkoli]

Thanks a lot, Ed, Julie and Mike for your kind words. Julie, about the BG in URC: i lightened it up. I guess i will have to lighten it up further. Will try that in CS3 as CNX2 has some limitations on that front.

regards,
ramesh

[Anita Bower]

These are lovely flowers and I like the colors and composition. I like how the leaf merges into the BG color providing unity. I would wish the sharp focus point did not include the leaf, as it pulls my eye away from the flowers. Nicely done!

[Ramesh Adkoli]

Thanks Anita.