I captured this image last year at Circle B Bar Reserve in Polk County, Florida. I recently worked it up again using the new tools in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC. Comments and critique welcomed and appreciated. Thank you for viewing.
Nikon D7000
Nikon 80-400mm F/4.5-5.6 VRII AF-S ED shot at 400mm (600mm FFE)
1/2000 F/5.6 Matrix Metering 0 EV ISO 360 AWB
Post processed in Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC, blended and smoothed a couple dark spots in the background
Cropped for composition and presentation
Joe Przybyla
"Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams
A beautiful specimen, nice light, and excellent sharpness within your DOF! It looks like you had plenty of light to increase your f/stop a notch or two which would have made the wings a little sharper overall. If this was mine, I'd be tempted to crop/clone the flower head in the LLC as the pink tends to draw my eye away from your subject. Overall, this is nicely done!
Jo I think you have a very pleasing image there. I appreciate you are using new tools, I hope you don't mind my saying but I have some reservation over the presentation.
For want of a better way of expressing myself the image looks "processed". It reminds me of when I started using Nik filters and I used the one for blurring the background and altering contrast. I am having problems with the soft distant background and the not quite so soft leaves and the sharp seed head and leaves. I think I have an idea of what you are doing, I would suggest it is a good idea but not quite to the extent it has been done. This is just my opinion so don't be put off, it may well be that most other people like your treatment.
I would be curious to see the image using your regular workflow.
Joe...I have to agree with Steve...take out the flower head on the LHS. Generally I like the shot and the overall color scheme and composition but I too think the leaves are just too blurred. I have no problem with blurring them but they look overdone!
Thanks everyone for viewing, commenting and suggesting improvements. I apologize for not getting back to this sooner but quite frankly I forgot I posted it. I shall have to plead a senior moment...
I went back to the drawing board and based on your comments and suggestions here is an edit reflecting those changes.
Joe Przybyla
"Sometimes I do get to places just as God is ready to have somebody click the shutter"... Ansel Adams
White Peacock
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If this was mine, I'd be tempted to crop/clone the flower head in the LLC as the pink tends to draw my eye away from your subject. Overall, this is nicely done!
