My First Peony

[Julie Kenward]

I have been going through my old images and cleaning house. This peony was the very first one I ever took with my first DSLR in 2008. I added a tiny bit of gaussian blur to the edges to tone down the petals a bit and then added a good crisp round of sharpening to the yellow center.

I cloned out some small particles of pollen that were scattered here and there but left the large clump at the bottom of the center area.

Canon 40D, EF 100mm f/2.8
f4 @ 1/400th, ISO 200
Manual mode, outdoor lighting, auto WB
Processed in ACR & CS5 with the vignette added in Color Efex and the sharpening in Topaz InFocus.

[Susan Candelario]

Hey Jules,
Really like the lighting & contrasting colors of the Peony. Nice job on your pp as well. You have really been motivating me with all your flower post lately. Can't wait to see more.
Thanks!

[bhavya joshi]

Great julie.. I like simple image with soft cool petals.. great yellow colour center.
Thank for sharing.:S3:

[Nick Palmieri]

I like the colors and composition. I love the way the yellow flower is super sharp and the sharpness falls off as you go to the edges. TFS

[Anita Bower]

Gorgeous. Those yellows pop against the soft pinks. Beautiful original shot and pp. Glad to see you go back to some of your old images.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Jules. This is a beauty! I like the off-center comp and the way the sharp yellow center contrasts with the abstract pastel pinks of the petals. Well done.

[Brendan Dozier]

Really beautiful, Jules! I too like the contrast between the sharp detail in center & soft outer petal area. Perfect! :5

[Ken Childs]

Hi Jules, I think it's all already been said but the contrast between the soft petals and the sharp center looks great! :S3:

My peonies aren't too far off.....hopefully I can get something that looks this nice!