White Bearded Iris

[Ken Childs]

Canon EOS REBEL XT
Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS @ 100mm
Av mode
1/500"
F8
ISO: 200
LR & CS3

The BG is my swimming pool.

[Stuart Frohm]

I admire the detail in the white, and I like your choice of background.

[Julie Kenward]

Ken, don't forget to share any special set up or pp techniques with us - we love to hear the story behind the creation of the image!

The swimming pool really sets off the whites and I'm glad you mentioned it - I was going to tell you to check the WB on your sky! ;) Composition feels perfect - not too much negative space but enough...enough stem to balance out the size of the bloom...very well done. You got some excellent detail in the whites and you everything feels soft (like a flower should be) while also being sharp around all edges. That touch of yellow in the center really sets off the blues!

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ken,
Interesting choice of BG!!!....will have to keep it in mind once it stops snowing! You have surprisingly good detail in the whites and DOF at f8! Nice inclusion of the stem and bud.

[Ken Childs]

Ken, don't forget to share any special set up or pp techniques with us - we love to hear the story behind the creation of the image! !

Really nothing special in the setup or pp. The flower was destined to go inside the house but took a slight detour in an beer bottle filled with water. The liner of the pool is mottled blue vinyl. Depending on the shape of the flower, the bottle either goes on the ground or on a chair, whichever gives the best angle and bg. Camera was HH. Conditions were not what you'd think of as good for shooting flowers but I they work well with the pool bg. Sunny spring day at 11:00 A.M.

Used curves to get the whites looking good. Basic contrast, NR and sharpening adjustments.

[Julie Brown]

Nice detail, color and texture in the flower. The pool makes a nice BG!

[Allen Sparks]

Nice whites, composition, and cool background.

[Charles Wesley]

Ken,

I agree with everyone. What a wonderful floral photo. Did you adjust several white point areas in curves? What about the S/H tool?

Thanks for sharing....
__________________
Charlie Wesley
St Augustine Beach, FL

[Ken Childs]

Did you adjust several white point areas in curves? What about the S/H tool?

Charlie, I didn't need to use S/H. Curves was a very simple adjustment. Layer via copy (Ctrl + J), opened curves and then I selected the brightest white area of the flower with the white point eyedropper and then adjusted the opacity of the layer to get where I wanted.

[Charles Wesley]

Ken,

Thanks for the quick response. I assume since you adjusted the brightest white in curves every thing else fell into the appropriate zone. Is my thinking proper?
___________________
Charlie Wesley
St Augustine Beach, FL

[Ken Childs]

I assume since you adjusted the brightest white in curves every thing else fell into the appropriate zone. Is my thinking proper?

That's what happened in this case. It isn't always that easy. :)

[Markus Jais]

Beautiful shot. Great exposure, details and sharpness.
I like the composition. The colors of the flowers are great, as is the soft light.
Very interesting background - a perfect fit here.

Markus

[Vida van der Walt]

Agree with all that has been said. Beautiful image Ken. I've always wanted a blue bg like this in one of my shots.:)

[Mike Moats]

Hey Ken, like the comp, great looking subject, good details and nice BG color. Well done.