Dahlia

[Mitch Haimov]

Canon EOS 5D, Canon 180 mm macro lens, extension tubes, tripod. Manual exposure (0.3 second at f/5), ISO 100, manual focus.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5309/5615368706_fcea14ff75_b.jpg


This is the same dahlia and unidentified (mostly) purple flowers as in my post of April 7 (http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php/82435-Flaming-Dahlia), but lower magnification and a very different mood. I can't decide how much I like this image--sometimes I like the balance/tension between the in-focus white flower amid the OOF purple ones and the single sharp dahlia petal and the combination of warm and cool colors (tho I always prefer the image of the same subject in my prior). Other times it seems "off" for reasons I can't quite put my finger on beyond the specific problem addressed below.

Post processing consisted of RAW conversion, a curve, and my attempt to de-emphasize three highlight areas near UL RoT position resulting from light shining through gaps in the arrangement. I am not entirely satisfied with the results of that attempt and am open to/appreciate suggestions in that regard, as well as any other comments or suggestions you may have. After some experimenting, the technique I used was alternately sampling areas around the highlights and painting at low opacity with a soft brush on a new layer with blend mode set to Darker Color. The results are certainly an improvement and far less hot than w/o this layer, but my eye is still drawn from the sharp areas of the image to this portion of the OOF BG. Perhaps I should just clone the highlights out, but was trying to come up with a more elegant solution.

Thanks for reading this far--sorry if I'm being too long winded!

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Mitch,
Been away so just getting back into the swing of things. I do like the concept.......but feel the balance here is a bit off. Why? Even though the contrasting colors work nicely against each other, I feel it is the textures that divide my interest in this image. I find the left half with the one bloom in focus much more appealing than the RH side.....although that may also make a nice comp in its own right......I may have preferred if you tried this in a vert.......concentrating on the LH side and using the same technique to keep just the one bloom focused. I do think you handled the light rather nicely ......but the RH side keeps pulling me away right now as presented.
Let's see what others chime in.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Mitch. I'm with Roman on this one. :S3: My eye keeps bouncing back and forth between the white flower on the left and the sharp petal on the right. Overall, the comp isn't working that well for me. On the other hand, I think that the purple half of the photo, presented as a vertical, and maybe with the OOF whites toned down a little, would make a strong image.

[Brendan Dozier]

I really like the color combination of the purple & cream, but Roman does make a good point about the composition. Though the different elements are very nice, it may just need to be simplified more. As far as de-emphasizing the 3 highlighted areas, perhaps using the healing brush tool to smooth and blend in the rough edges might do the trick.

[Ken Childs]

Hey Mitch, here's another vote for a preference of the left side of the image.....although I do like the right side. It's almost as if you have 2 different photos here but they don't compliment each other.

[Mitch Haimov]

Thank you all for the input. You have helped me figure out my mixed feelings about this one--I like both sides, but they don't really work together.

[Anita Bower]

Gorgeous colors and nice focus on the little white flower. I agree that there are two images here. Good for you for experimenting!