I Need an Honest What Do You Think?

[Arthur Morris]

This image was created on just before 4pm on our last day at Keukenhof Gardens on the recently-concluded Holland Tulip IPT with the tripod-mounted Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS macro lens and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III digital camera body. ISO 50. Evaluative metering +1/3 stop: 1/6 sec. at f/32 in Av mode. The image is a 7-frame multiple exposure moving the camera only a fraction of an inch between each exposure.

Please be 100% honest :)

Learn more about the trip and see the reactions of the folks on my blog here.

[Kerry Perkins]

Hi Artie,

I feel that this image would work better as a blur, or at least with some blur added to the multiple exposure. With so much detail the image feels very frenetic to my eyes. I do love the colors and the swath of blue flowers going through the top part. Sounds like a good trip!

[Cheryl Slechta]

Artie, I like everything about it except the large blob of purple flowers in the upper right quadrant. It would look nice as a squarer crop, cropping out the upper portion right below the purple blob.

[Arthur Morris]

Artie, I like everything about it except the large blob of purple flowers in the upper right quadrant. It would like nice as a squarer crop, cropping out the upper portion right below the purple blob.

Thanks. The purple in the upper right is my favorite part :). See you in the Palouse.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie,

I feel that this image would work better as a blur, or at least with some blur added to the multiple exposure. With so much detail the image feels very frenetic to my eyes. I do love the colors and the swath of blue flowers going through the top part. Sounds like a good trip!

Thanks Kerry. How would you go about adding blur?

[Cheryl Slechta]

I knew it was Actually, my favorite part of the image is the upper left corner. How about a crop from the top including all of the purple flowers so you've got them in a diagonal in more of a pano crop. I imagine this looks much better full frame. With the small image it looks like two separate images - the top with the purple and the bottom part where you can see a sharper view of distinct flowers. Or maybe a slight crop from the bottom right below the really interesting spiky flower on the left. That would make it more cohesive. But - all of these comments are probably moot if you're viewing a larger image. Ah, the Palouse - can't wait!

Thanks. The purple in the upper right is my favorite part :). See you in the Palouse.

[Kerry Perkins]

Artie, here's the image with a little surface blur added. It gives it a bit of a painterly look.

[Dennis Bishop]

My initial reaction was much the same as Kerry's, and I like his modification.

[Randall Farhy]

Hi Artie, I also agree with Kerry's comment re: frenetic, and like the idea of blending some blurred color into the image. I took a different approach and used Topaz Labs Clean3; Crisp style on two separate layers. One is blended on normal mode @ 48%, duplicated and blended on vivid light @36% opacity to retain detail while adding blurred color. Soft light mode yielded a similar result with less contrast in the greens.

Edit: I also feel the very top of the image could be cropped off just at the bottom edge of the upper left purple patch, with a thin slice off the bottom to remove just that dark orange spot on the lower right corner edge.

[Arthur Morris]

Artie, here's the image with a little surface blur added. It gives it a bit of a painterly look.

Thanks Kerry. I like it. I would never have thought of using Surface Blur. What setting did you use?

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie, I also agree with Kerry's comment re: frenetic, and like the idea of blending some blurred color into the image. I took a different approach and used Topaz Labs Clean3; Crisp style on two separate layers. One is blended on normal mode @ 48%, duplicated and blended on vivid light @36% opacity to retain detail while adding blurred color. Soft light mode yielded a similar result with less contrast in the greens.

Edit: I also feel the very top of the image could be cropped off just at the bottom edge of the upper left purple patch, with a thin slice off the bottom to remove just that dark orange spot on the lower right corner edge.

Thanks a stack Randall. I love the look of your repost. I need to start using TOPAZ. I might have painted back the softer PURPLEs from the ORIG with a Layer Mask. If I do crop from the top it would just be a small crop tfrom just above the purple blob.

[Kerry Perkins]

Thanks Kerry. I like it. I would never have thought of using Surface Blur. What setting did you use?

Hi Artie. Radius = 5, Threshold = 15

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie. Radius = 5, Threshold = 15

Hey Kerry. Thanks times 2.

[Kerry Perkins]

You are welcome Artie, x2.

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dear Sir Arthur,

I really like the OP, although when I saw Randall's RP I had this thought of a large canvas print on my study wall.
Very playful and colourful and something that certainly moves - great work Sir!

Kind regards,