Backlit Pickerel Weed Repost

[Russ Norwood]

This was originally posted in the Macro & Flora forum, but I've been told that cross-posting is OK, and I'm curious about the reaction here in OOTB.

I saw this backlit scene while trying to photograph wading birds in Louisiana's Maurepas swamp. Shooting into the sun with a 500mm lens and 1.4TC gave it an ethereal look very different from what I usually try to capture. Pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata) is a very common aquatic plant in South Louisiana.

Other than removal of a single leaf the only processing involved levels and a touch of vibrance in Lightroom. (I added a touch of local sharpening to the blooms in this repost. My thanks to Jerry van Dijk for the suggestion in the Macro forum.)

Canon 1DX
ISO 1600
f9 at 1/125
+1 EV compensation

Russ Norwood

[Jackie Schuknecht]

It's quite lovely and has beautiful lens flare. Green and purple is always a pleasing combination, but I might take some of the yellow out of the green to desaturate them. They look pretty saturated to me.

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Russ,

Greetings. The outlined grasses in the bg are particularly cool along with the detail pulling out the flower. The central bright orangish spot is a bit distracting to my eye. Perhaps toning it down would work. Thanks for posting.

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Nancy Bell]

We're happy to have you post this in OOTB! Great placement of the flower to the right and that long, pointed leaf bending into the image on a diagonal. The hazy lines of the distant plants and the lens flare adding a lovely softness as well as depth. The water droplets are a very nice detail.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Russ, I'm so glad you posted this in OOTB. It is a lovely image and I'm odd man out on the saturation - I like it the way it is. The lens flare is such a nice addition and I love the ethereal look of the background - it has an otherworldly look to it. I hope we see more of your images here

[gary ellwein]

Russ, welcome to OOTB. I love shooting macros with my long lenses. The composition is spot on. The diagonal long leaf nicely leads one through the image. The bg is the highlight of the image. I'm with Michael relative to toning down the yellow-orange left central area. Hope to see you in OOTB again.

[Anita Bower]

I love the effect created by the long lens. Complex and fun to look at. Lovely blue against the green. Nicely composed. I would tone down the saturation of the green stem holding the flower. I've mixed feelings about the yellow--it could stay as is or be slightly toned down. Glad you posted here.