Dogwood- a different view

[Bob Miller]

The dogwoods in my yard were just getting ready to open so I thought i would take some shots that were a bit different
Nikon D3s
tripod
1/50 sec at f16
ISO800
180 macro
Comments welcome!

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Bob, this image has a lot of potential, but I find it a bit too subdued as presented. A little fill flash to brighten up the shadows would have helped. Could be an easy fix in PP, using the fill light slider in ACR or shadows/highlights in PS. You could also start with upping the exposure or brightness a little. I also find the hollow part of the flower a little soft, I would have made that my point of focus.

[Anita Bower]

I like the unusual view of the Dogwood flower, as well as the drops of water. The flower stands out nicely against the dark bg.
I took the liberty of playing around with it a bit. I brightened up the flower using shadow/highlights and something else, cloned out dirt spots on the flower and the very bottom of the stem , cropped some off the top, darkened the leaves just a bit using burn, and added a high pass filter blended at soft focus. Just to give you some ideas.

[jack williamson]

I like the OP just fine although Anitas' tweeks look good. This is a pretty shot of a pretty flower and I hope to see more. The dogwoods have been done here for several weeks now.

Jack

[Bob Miller]

Anita....thanks for your ideas.....will try some !

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Bob. I like the subdued light of the OP and the dark (but not black) natural background. You also have a nice comp and the water drops add interest. I like what Anita has done in her repost as well - I think it comes down to personal taste and what mood you are trying to express. :S3: This is very well done!

[Ken Childs]

Hi Bob, I like the darker look of the OP, mainly because it fits the rainy day feel of the wet flowers. It's nice as presented but I agree that the dark area of the petals near the top needs to be sharpened more and I think a slight CW rotation might help to get that dark spot away from horizontal center of the frame. It's a great base image and a few simple tweaks should make it look even better!