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Linda Dulak
03-10-2011, 08:36 AM
While visiting Longwood Gardens for their orchid show I happened upon some tulips. That eternal longing for spring brought me close and I kept getting closer. So, I went inside a tulip to get a view. I like the symmetry of flowers so this was what I wanted to emphasize in this image.

D300, 105 mm Nikkor macro, ISO 400, f22, 1/60 sec., EC +.67, 2 SB R200 strobes attached to front of lens.

Hope you enjoy. Comments?

Roman Kurywczak
03-10-2011, 11:38 AM
Hey Linda,
Still in Florida but got a bit of a break today! Glad to see the upload issue was resolved! I like the central comp a feel it had to be this way......very striking colors and glad to see you didn't clip any of the blues radiating! I have debated the outside dark purple.......did you add a vignette? I may prefer it lightened just a touch....to bring out some of the fine areas a bit more.....but very minor and a very nice job overall!

Linda Dulak
03-10-2011, 03:28 PM
Roman: Yes, I finally am able to post. I think there was a broken link in Firefox and more may have had trouble. In any case, I'm now a member and I've got a few images to post in the next few days.

There was no vignetting. This was a tulip of a very dark purple, quite accurate in the corners. That's what got me interested in the inside. They were very difficult to photograph straight on because they were so dark. But inside they were really interesting.

Linda

Steve Maxson
03-10-2011, 06:11 PM
Hi Linda. This is a very interesting flower. The centered comp works well, in this instance, and I like that the petals are blurred just enough that the central structures stand out. I think a few small tweaks would make the image even stronger. I would suggest cloning some of the small, flash-generated white spots on the pistol and on the outer edges of the petals. You might also consider cloning some of the small brownish spots on the blue and white portion of the petals. These are very minor issues and overall this is nicely done. :S3:

Anita Bower
03-11-2011, 05:41 PM
Just lovely! Great colors and sharpness. The centered composition is just right. Love the combination of colors. I like the crop. (Did you crop this?) I agree with cloning some of the spots. Very nice work.

Ken Childs
03-12-2011, 07:33 AM
This is really nice, Linda! You did a great job of lining up the anthers with the blue areas of the petals and as Steve mentioned, the DOF works extremely well. A little clean up will go a long way in making this one look even better than it already does. Well done! :S3:

Linda Dulak
03-12-2011, 08:00 AM
Thanks everyone. This is close to full frame with only minor cropping from the sides to take it to the square format. Vertically, it's full frame. I did clone some of the white flash spots, but now I see a few more that have been mentioned. Thanks.

Mitch Haimov
03-25-2011, 12:12 AM
Lovely. Fabulous subject, excellent use of DOF. The combination of textures is excellent, as is the soft light. And I really like the symmetrical composition for this image. In fact, I would like it to be a little more symmetrical--do you have a version where you composed a little looser so as to avoid cutting off the whites at top and bottom? If so (or if additional shooting is an option) I recommend cropping that version to a square image with no trimming of the white areas. Great work.