Stacked Daffodil

[Ken Childs]

Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Av mode
1/13"
F10
ISO 200
Exposure comp + 1
Tripod
Zerene Stacker & CS3

Another one of these cool flowers that came out of nowhere. I didn't plant it and just one plant popped up down by my barn.

This is a 19 exposure stacked image. One of the petals was bent back and I couldn't get it to be level with the other petals which is why it took so many exposures. BG is a saturated blurred print of some grass. Shot indoors with east facing window light. Cropped, contrast, a little cleanup on the flower, curves, SH, center of flower lightened a bit. Sharpened with high pass and smart sharpening.

[Nick Palmieri]

Wow Ken, 19 stacked images. I have been working with only 3 - 9 at a time...I love the colors, the composition, and the detail. Very nice job!

[Julie Kenward]

Ken, I love the idea of working with stacked images and you certainly got a sharp as a tack image here. But for me - and this is just my own personal preference mind you - it loses what makes a flower a flower - that softness mixed with the harder edge. I'd rather see some sharp and some soft because that's how flowers are. Just my two cents...

[Susan Candelario]

Nice details, comp. & exp. Nice job blending 19 frames.

[Mitch Haimov]

Great subject and composition, and I'm impressed by the blending of so many stacked exposures. Did you do that manually, or with an automated tool such as Helicon Focus? This a technique with which I have not experimented, but I am intrigued. Anyway, seems like you accomplished exactly what you intended, so congrats. Only thing I would change would be the BG--to me it overpowers the subject. What do you think of a quick hue adjustment (-50) as a starting point? Thanks.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5029/5578895026_760a10d7ba_b.jpg

[Ken Childs]

Jules, I understand your point of view completely. I was going more for a graphic/flag look in this one and I did take other shots of the entire flower with a more natural appearance.

Mitch, your edit does look good and more natural but for the reasons I just gave, I went with the bolder color on the BG. I used Zerene Stacker to stack these.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Ken. Nice job of stacking! - I really need to learn how to do this. I like the off-center comp. I was going to comment on the brightness of the green background, but seeing your comment above, I think it works fine for the graphic look you were going for. This image might benefit from a thin black border. Well done. :S3:

[Anita Bower]

Wahoooo! Love the graphic quality here, and the vibrant colors! Off center without seeing the ends of the petals works beautifully. Nice detail in the whites!!! I like the original green. Only change I'd like to see is the center a bit brighter, so it stands out a bit more. Not sure how to do that without oversaturating the yellow. I think this is a Narcissus. Great work!

[Ken Childs]

Thanks, Anita. :S3:

I always though that a Narcissus was a Daffodil and vice versa but I was wrong. A Daffodil is a species of Narcissus.

It looks like mine is Narcissus poeticus.
http://www.missouriplants.com/Whitealt/Narcissus_poeticus_page.html

[Brendan Dozier]

What a great looking graphic design you created with this image, Ken. Like the contrast of white & green, and very interesting detail in the center. Nice job!

[Anita Bower]

Thanks, Anita. :S3:

I always though that a Narcissus was a Daffodil and vice versa but I was wrong. A Daffodil is a species of Narcissus.

It looks like mine is Narcissus poeticus.
http://www.missouriplants.com/Whitealt/Narcissus_poeticus_page.html

Yes--that's what it looks like. I have one that looks the same and it is one of my favorites!!

[Hazel Grant]

As Brenden says, looks like a great graphic print. I could see it on some walls in a modern setting. Like the contrast of the realistic center vs the abstract look of the other areas. yes, I must learn stacking.

[kostas nianiopoulos]

to honest for first time i see this flower but i like it how u made the image Ken , well done !!!