I went down to the Missouri Botanicals on Tuesday afternoon in the hope of catching some cloud cover as a front moved through, and was fortunate enough to get about an hour of really soft light. I'm trying to explore some new looks to my water lily images, and have started to crop the images in-camera very tightly to capture the delicate features in the center of the bloom. Shot with the 180mm with the 1.4TC attached, f/22@1/250. The RAW image was processed in LR..cropped a small amount from the right side, and a sliver from the top and bottom..after bringing it into PS I tweaked color and tone...then applied Topaz Detail on one layer...Fractalius on another...merged the top two layers, lowered the opacity to let a bit more of the original to come through, and then did some selective darkening and brightening around the image with Viveza. Looking forward to any comments or suggestions!
Hi John, all that effort really paid off. I like the tight framing along with brilliant color and good detail. The use of the filter combo is pleasing due to the center having plenty of detail with it's endings becoming wispy.
The transition from yellow to violet to elec blue blends beautifully. Lots of impact and well handled!!
Absolutely love the colors and your use of filters. I like the tight comp and having the center leaning somewhat to the left where you have more room. I only wish for a bit more of the striking yellow center on the right. Personal preference of course. Your efforts did pay off. I think your wife might want this one printed as well... I know I would.
Absolutely love it! Wonderful composition and colors enhanced with your use of filters. Btw, it reminds me of Avatar and how the forest on Pandora lit up at night!
Thank you for your comments...I have to admit, the combination of Topaz and Fractalius has me excited. I really want to do some new explorations with water lilies, and I'm hoping this is the start. Thanks again!
Hey John, You are really good at this stuff. The colors and glow here are mega and as a vertical this composition works well at least for me. :)
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Denise and Artie, thank you for taking the time to comment. I have to tell you...these forums have been like a little retreat for me...energizing in so many different ways...and inspirational as I view the work posted. Thanks again.