Dramatic! I wonder if it would be possible to pull out a little more detail in the lightest tones? Would need to be done in the RAW processing to the extent possible, then more can be done in PS. Nik's Detail Extractor combined with Pro Contrast can be amazing, used carefully.
Moving the flash off-camera and bouncing some fill light into the shaded areas could also give more definition to the very lovely shapes of the petals.
Couldn't resist having a very quick try at what could be pulled out of the JPEG -- there will be more detail in the RAW file. It's exaggerated here just for comparison, and I didn't try to correct the WB.
Lilies make great subjects, Don. They have a lot of interest even when nearly spent. However, my initial reaction to this image (from the thumbnail before seeing the larger view) was that my comment about your previous post applies equally here--include more stem down to and a little below the Y. Once I saw the larger view my immediate reaction was that your whites are blown out. I see that Diane has already addressed this; I suspect that if you go back to your RAW file you can retrieve even more detail in the brightest areas without darkening the rest so much. Worth the effort, both for this image and as a learning experience to help you with future processing.
Hi Don. Another pair of beautiful flowers! The whites and comp have already been noted above by Diane and Mitch and I would concur with their helpful comments. Again, you have good sharpness and DOF and I think the image would be worth spending some additional processing time on.
Don I am trying not to read previous comments but I see a repost so I presume comments are being made about the brightest areas being a little too bright. If you are using ACR I would suggest you press the ALT key whilst using the mouse to check exposure of blacks or whites etc, alternatively ensure you have the blinkies set on your camera back preview. It is quite suprising sometimes how much can be retrieved in the raw stage so I suggest you have another go at the processing because clearly from the repost of the jpeg there is lots of detail to be had.
Lily
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