White Cosmo

[denise ippolito]

Canon 5D
100mm Macro lens
ISO 100
1/200 sec. at f/6.3
natural light

[Joseph Martines]

Sweet.

I like the offset bud.

[Julie Kenward]

What is the BG??? I'm dying to know! It's very nice, Denise. I think the whites could be whiter/brighter but the comp and image overall really works.

Now share...what's the BG???

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Denise,
I like the cosmos and the oof bud........I like the color of the BG......not the lines......lattice???.....brick???......I vote for a blur to minimize the lines. Just a thought.

[denise ippolito]

Thanks for the feedback-I used a cardboard box. I thought the corrugated lines would add not subtract-I'll try to re-shoot it as I never can get that BG blur right.

[Ed Vatza]

Ah, I too was wondering about the background. I though maybe it was something you came up with out of Photoshop. :D

Nice composition. I think the bud adds nicely.

[Kaushik Balakumar]

Liked the exposure here. Nice details in the white petals. The little bud on the right adds to the comp.

[denise ippolito]

Ed, Kaushik- Thankyou both for your comments.

[Stu Bowie]

Excellent exposure on the whites Denise, and love the lines in the BG. Great capture.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Denise,
for the BG......if you had it 12 inches behind the flower......just move it 6 inches back......and then another 6....and so on until the bg softness is where you like......just remember that there will be light falloff.

[denise ippolito]

Stuart, Thankyou for your comments. Roman, I'll re-shoot when I get another one. Thanks for your help.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Denise, I don't mind the BG, it looks interesing. Agree that the small bud adds a nice touch. Good details on the flower.

[dawn campbell]

Thanks for the feedback-I used a cardboard box. I thought the corrugated lines would add not subtract-I'll try to re-shoot it as I never can get that BG blur right.

There is a new Alien Skin product called "Bokeh" that simulates a shallow DOF that people might want to try--there's a free trial (I'm not assoc'd--just heard about it but haven't tried it myself). I prefer to do what I do in the camera, but sometimes things don't work out and it might be a nice product to have.

Also people may not know that the Lens Blur in Photoshop works differently from other blurs-you can use it to simulate DOF, can mask out your target, but unlike Gaussian Blur it graduates the blur as it distances itself away from the subject. Gaussian Blur is applied at a flat rate. So if trying to apply a blur, you might find you like the Lens Blur more as it often looks more realistic.

[denise ippolito]

Dawn, I haven't tried that program but will look into it-thankyou. I like the lens blur also but still feel an un-natural quality to the final look unless done perfectly. I'm always critical of the edges. I've tried alot of different ways to keep from having an edge issue inc. lab mode,defringing, refining,not selecting close to edge,etc -but never seem to get the edges right- Thanks again for the suggestion.