Orchid Color Wash

[Barbara Kile]

105 mm Macro; 1/6"; f/5.6

[Alan Melle]

I like the colors and DOF. I wish the lower petal wasn't clipped. Just personal taste but I would include all of the lower petal and crop the top if I needed to. Nice work with the lighting.

[Barbara Kile]

Thanks, Alan. That's not a 'clip' really as the edge of the petal is not near the frame edge - plus it would be out of focus if it were. (I was taught to either include it or cut it off decisively). I know it's personal preference and I do appreciate your feedback! :)

[Julie Kenward]

I know what you mean, Barbara...when you get this close there isn't a lot of focal plane, is there? I, too, probably would have preferred the entire lower petal but you did well by cropping the top ones as well - it makes the image feel intentional (which it was) and balances the top and bottom nicely. Perfect placement of the focal point, too...I feel like my eyes are sliding right down the purple area of the inner petal!

Lovely, soft colors...how did you pp? What kind of lighting did you use? Tell us more about how you got such a beautiful soft look to this image.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi Barbara,
unfortunately I'm with Allen on the front petal.....a slight tilt down may have accomplished that but as said.....this was your personal choice! While I'm generally not a soft focus kind of guy.......it works extremely well here!

[Barbara Kile]

Thanks Julie and Roman. This was just shot in an open hotel lobby - so natural light. I shot at f/8 and 5.6, but chose the 5.6 one. No processing at all, other than what I did in ACR. To pan out and include the lower petal would have not had the same effect, and brought more peripheral 'stuff' into the bg.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Nice wash Barabara and I like your precise focus.

[Barbara Kile]

Thanks, Jackie!

[Vida van der Walt]

Love the soft colours, light and focus of this beautiful shot Barbara. Ditto perfect placement of focal point and it must have been difficult to decide on the bottom petal.:)

[Barbara Kile]

Thanks, Vida. Perhaps if it were a vertical it would have concentrated on the petal, but I would have lost much of the soft color.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Barbera, like the comp and soft feel, as the others have mentioned good point of focus. Well done.