New and improved! Now with more stem!

[Ken Childs]

Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS @ 50mm
Av mode
.3"
F22
ISO:100
Canon 430EX: On, Fired (comp -3 w/wide panel)
LR & CS3

BG is black foam core.
Shot indoors with mostly natural window light.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ken,
I can't say anything negative.....because I'm the one who asked for it:eek:! I love it when people listen:D!!! Only recommendation is to try and bring up the center...near the stamen base a touch!.....great job on the lighting and set against the black puts it over the top!!!

[Alfred Forns]

Love it Ken ... and did bring a smile to my face :) Just perfect from my end !!!

[Greg Ruckert]

Hi Roman, please would you explain for a newbie what you mean by "bring up the center...near the stamen base a touch!....."
Cheers,
Greg

[Anita Bower]

Another great flower portrait! I agree that it is new, but I don't know that it is improved--it is different and has a differnt feel to it. I like both images a lot, and I have a bias for white bg, which few share. In looking at both images again, I think there may be too much negative space in both. I'm feeling my way, here, and don't know how I would crop them for less negative space. It is an issue in my own flower photography. Perhaps others will have some ideas.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi Roman, please would you explain for a newbie what you mean by "bring up the center...near the stamen base a touch!....."
Cheers,
Greg
Hey Greg,
You can use the lasso tool and just select an area you want to lighten.....then create either a levels layer, curves layer, or any other option you like and just bring that area up a touch......very similar to what Artie does in the Avain forum for the eyes of birds.....I think there is a tutorial on that in the educational resources but will check on that to see if I can find it.....similar approach but this would just be the center of a flower instead.
Hope this made sense.
PS I redid the image (hope you don't mind Ken) and all I did was a levels layer with the whites down to 211......then blurred the mask....I think seeing will help show it better.

[Julie Kenward]

Ken, it's another beautiful image and I also love the addition of some more stem. I love the bold contrast of the black BG but I really loved the white one, too - just needed a few small tweaks to take it over the top!

Nice changes by Roman - they opened up the flower even more. Remember, everyone, it's the littlest things that make a good photo great - always take a moment and ask yourself "What could be better?" and play for a bit. With layers you can always undo what you did and not leave a mark!

[Ken Childs]

Thanks, y'all!

Jules is right. Roman did a very simple and easy tweak but it really does look a lot better.


In looking at both images again, I think there may be too much negative space in both. I'm feeling my way, here, and don't know how I would crop them for less negative space. It is an issue in my own flower photography. Perhaps others will have some ideas.
Anita, I know exactly what you mean. Too much negative space is why I originally cropped out most of the stem but now looking at the 2 versions on my pc, I definitely prefer more stem even though it opened up lots of empty space. I think if I cropped any tighter on the top or the sides, it would look too crowded.

[Anita Bower]

Thank you, Roman, for explaining and showing us what you did to lighten up that one area. Post like these keep me growing as a photographer!