Clematis-Up Close

[Bob Miller]

Nikon D-300
90 mm Tamron Macro
1/3 sec at f16
ISO1000
All comments welcome and appreciated!

[Julie Kenward]

Bob, I like your composition but I'm having trouble with the white here - they look a bit flat and almost "muddy". Is this how you remember the color of the flower? What was the lighting like at the time you made the image and did you do any pp work to correct the colors in any way? When I touched the bright spot on one of the petals with the white eye dropper in Levels I got a whole different color shift. See what you think...

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Bob, I love how close you got on this one. Jules' version is a great improvement, makes the purple stamen really pop. If you shot RAW, you may also try adjust the WB settings. I've got the feeling that the flower center isn't in focus. I'm amazed by your settings 1/3 sec at ISO 1000? It must have been very dark! I'm amazed at how little noise this introduced. Might run a little NR on the flower center though.

[Ken Childs]

Bob, it's an interesting flower and Jules' edit definitely makes it look better. I think I'd rather see a different crop, though. If you have the canvas, maybe getting the center of the flower closer to a ROT spot would work or maybe a square crop.

[Bob Miller]

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. As i remember, I took this shot after the sun had set but there was still some light on the white flowers. The orig raw file had a strong blue cast that I worked on but not enough as seen by Jules excellent repost...Thanks Jules

[Daniel Cadieux]

Jule's repost is how I imagined your image should look like. Beautiful flower. I like your slightly off-centered comp, well done!

[Anita Bower]

I find the centers of Clematis to be fascinating and fun to photograph. I like this straight on shot. Julie's post makes the colors pop. I'm bothered by the many spots on the white petals.