Dahlia 7

[Anita Bower]

One of the last Dahlias to bloom in my garden before a killing frost.

Photo taken indoors, natural side light, tripod.
Nikon D300, Sigma 105mm macro with Canon 500D close-up lens,f 3.3 ("relative"), 1/80 sec, ISO 160, spot metering, manual exposure, manual focus (live view).
PP: Basic adjustments in PS7: curves, saturation, levels; high pass sharpening for the center of flower.

[Dave Woeller]

Hi Anita, I love the color in this. it's a shame they are ending. I like the depth of field that you selected and the composition. I 'd also like to see how this would present with the center of the flower ever so slightly higher and to the left jus a touch. It's gorgeous just the way it is though, just an alternative thought.

[Anita Bower]

Hi Anita, I love the color in this. it's a shame they are ending. I like the depth of field that you selected and the composition. I 'd also like to see how this would present with the center of the flower ever so slightly higher and to the left jus a touch. It's gorgeous just the way it is though, just an alternative thought.

Thanks for your comments. I can try the crop you suggested. I took lots of photos of this flower and some are positioned similarly to your suggestion.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Anita. I love the colors, the subtle light, and the way that the sharpness fades out beautifully from the flower's center. It would be interesting to see this with some alternate crops such as that suggested by Dave. In the OP, I would like to see just a bit more room on the right so that the tips of the 3 petals weren't clipped. Having said that, I can see that with so many petals, almost any crop would end up clipping something. :) Very well done.

[Anita Bower]

In the OP, I would like to see just a bit more room on the right so that the tips of the 3 petals weren't clipped. Having said that, I can see that with so many petals, almost any crop would end up clipping something. :)

Good point. And, you are right about always cropping something! I may post another version in the near future, depending on how much post processing I do--sometime I fall into OOTB.

[Ken Childs]

Anita, the light on this looks great! There have been some good suggestions on alternate crops. I like Steve's idea of more space on the right and I'd also think about taking a little off the bottom. Well done! :)

[Anita Bower]

Anita, the light on this looks great! There have been some good suggestions on alternate crops. I like Steve's idea of more space on the right and I'd also think about taking a little off the bottom. Well done! :)

Thanks for your feedback. I looked at other shots I took of this flower and none of this particular composition have more room on the right. lesson learned: try different crops of same shot. :-)

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Anita,
With all the little petals.....tough to choose where but good idea to explore in the future. For me though......this works as presented as the light and color are fantastic.....and I even like the brighter area on the bottom.....almost a gradient in both DOF and light!!! Very nicely done!!!

[Anita Bower]

Hey Anita,
With all the little petals.....tough to choose where but good idea to explore in the future. For me though......this works as presented as the light and color are fantastic.....and I even like the brighter area on the bottom.....almost a gradient in both DOF and light!!! Very nicely done!!!

Thanks, Roman. To my delight, this image needed very little post processing. I must be getting better! :-)

[Jay Sheinfield]

Hi Anita,

I'm a bit late here.............I love it as is. Agree with Roman on the gradient color and DOF, adds so much.
Great capture.

[Julie Kenward]

Thanks, Roman. To my delight, this image needed very little post processing. I must be getting better! :-)

I think you've been "getting better" for quite a long time now! :)

I saw these images on your blog the other day and the colors and repetitive pattern of the leaves make for one stunning image. The lighting and exposure seems perfect - I want to lean in and give it a smell so way to go!

[Anita Bower]

I think you've been "getting better" for quite a long time now! :)

I saw these images on your blog the other day and the colors and repetitive pattern of the leaves make for one stunning image. The lighting and exposure seems perfect - I want to lean in and give it a smell so way to go!

Thanks, Jules! Unfortunately, Dahlias have no smell.