Assignment: Compose With Colour

[Jackie Schuknecht]

I took this a couple of weeks ago. Worked on it yesterday and looking at it today I ddin't like it at all, so I tried a re-work doing as much as possible in ACR. Taken indoors with white walls, so a lot of light reflecting off them.
40D
f13
100mm
AV Eval, +1 or +1/1/3
ISO 200
.5 s
Twin Light Macro @ -3
ISO 200, Cropped a very small amount on edges
In Camera Raw WB 5100, Tint +17, DeSat -11, Linear Contrast, Camera Faithful, everything else to default
Sharpening and NR turned off.
In PS: Photokit Capture Sharpening, Wide at 3, Creative Sharpening Wide at 3, cloned a few spots, Topaz NR,
Finally another round of sharpening with USM.
Comments/Suggestions Appreciated, Thanks!

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Another version, more agressively sharpened.

[Alfred Forns]

Hi Jackie

At those distances there is not much dof !!! Mike over in macro shoots the leafs at Max dof and worries about any diffraction later !!! I like the second better. Main suggestion I have is placing the point of focus at the intersecting third ... a bit more to the corner. Will be visually stronger !!!

[Harold Davis]

a subtle adjustment for you jackie. i wonder what the orton treatment would do to this one. the soft light is really nice and the orton might make it more dreamy.....dreamy = my word for the day i guess:)

[Jackie Schuknecht]

The last one I posted in macro they suggested f32 but having the stamen in focus critical. I don't think I could have had all this in focus. I certainly do need to work on DOF a lot more. I don't mind the OOF petals too much. Al I don't know what diffraction is? Could you pls explain?? Harold I really like what you have done, thanks so much:) Did you create your Orton action using the one Fabs suggested.

[Harold Davis]

no orton in the repost. only thing i did was brighten the stamen. i gotta do that action though. will give it a try.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

Recropped using the ROT, did an Orton. Thanks Harold, I like it!

[Harold Davis]

ooooooh yeah! that is nice!!

[Dave Phillips]

Jackie, I much like your last repost with the Orton effect.
Out of curiosity, wonder what it would look like with the stamen from Harold's post....sharper?

[Cheryl Slechta]

Jackie - I like the extra sharpening second version the best and I like the complimentary tad of color in the BG.

_______
Cheryl

[Kathy Reeves]

I like one of the sharper versions best.

[denise ippolito]

Jackie, I like the sharper version with the ROT crop

[Mark Fuge]

The last one I posted in macro they suggested f32 but having the stamen in focus critical. I don't think I could have had all this in focus. I certainly do need to work on DOF a lot more. I don't mind the OOF petals too much. Al I don't know what diffraction is? Could you pls explain?? Harold I really like what you have done, thanks so much :) Did you create your Orton action using the one Fabs suggested.

Nice shot Jackie,

If you are going to work in macro, get use to major OOF sections of the image. You will find that only a small area will be in forcus no matter what your aperature. Go for the smallest and hope for the best. You might want to get a focusing rail if you plan to do a lot of it. That way you make fine focus by moving the camera, when the lens is focused as well as possible in manual mode. The stamen is normally what you want in focus on flowers, unless a bee or ant is sitting on the pedal.

Good Luck. I enjoy macro but don't do much of it anymore. I don't have a macro lens anymore after going auto focus and then to digital. If you want to have some fun though, I use my 300mm f/2.8L for "macro" shots. Get's interesting sometimes. :D

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Lady Jackie,
I like your second repost the best, I would suggest on moving the stamen a little more the the intersecting third on the right side of the frame. also would stop down to the max of your lens, and select one focus point to work on...I like the texture and color rendition on the flower...:cool:

[Oscar Zangroniz]

Do agree with Gus, your second re post does it for me.