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Thread: Gian Amazon Lily and Pads

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    Default Giant Amazon Lily and Pads

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    These giant lilies are reaching peak at the local Botanicals, with several of the plants sporting beautiful blooms. The pads are showing a little bit of wear from the heat, but not too much yet...these plants never cease to amaze me with the juxtaposition and their delicate beauty. Show with the 100-400 at 400mm, f/32@1/6. I was a little lucky...there was a slight breeze that kept the large pads and lily in almost constant motion...shot several images when there seemed to be a lull in the soft sway across the water. RAW image processed in LR, brought into PS and some localized tweaks to tone and color were done in Viveza. I used Topaz Clean first...then Fractalius...and then Topaz Simplify, each filter on a separate layer, tweaking the opacity a bit on each to blend the effects. Merged the three layers and then tweaked the opacity a bit more to allow a bit of detail to seep through. Looking forward to comments and suggestions.

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    Hi John, I like your eye on this one using the 3 pads as a leading line. Your patience paid off waiting for the pads positioning in relation to the lily. The filter worked well here but if this were mine I would evict the small area(stem?) to the left of the lily...

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    Beautiful composition, John. I like how the pads layers up on the frame. Very nice texture. Excellent processing and use of filters.

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    Hi Dave;

    Thanks for taking the time to make your comments and suggestions. I evicted the small, unopened bloom per your suggestion...I'm still debating myself whether or not I like it gone or I like the little splash of color up there..it will be interesting to see what others think as well. Thanks again!

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    I actually like the original post. It adds a bit of an anchor to the flower in my opinion. Nicely processed. I might try to sharpen the inside edge of the front pad a little if it were mine. Very nice composition!!

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    Nicely composed, John. I like both images and really like your combination of filters.
    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly" - The Little Prince

    http://tuscawillaphotographycherylslechta.zenfolio.com/

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    Landscapes Moderator Andrew McLachlan's Avatar
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    Hi John, very nice comp and filtering. I could go with the original or the repost on this one. Agree with Denise on sharpening the inside edge of the foreground pad. Nice work!

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    Hey John, Really nice comp...........Love the colors. Good eye!

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    Denise, Cheryl, Andrew and Jay....thank you for the additional comments and suggestions. Denise, I took your advice and sharpened the lower pad...I'm always afraid of sharpening too much when shooting at f/32; there is so much diffraction at that aperture that I'm already sharpening more aggressively than I normally do...I think it holds together in this instance. Thank you again...and Jay, keep those posts coming in from CO!

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    You did a great job in capturing this image and in post processing. I like the lily pads leading up to the flower--nice composition. The filters you used bring out the wonderful lines. I can go with either original post of the one without the little thing to the left of flower, though have a small preference for no little thing as it pulls my eye away from the flower. Lovely work.

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    John, It looks great.

  12. #12
    Susan Candelario
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    Hi John,
    Love the comp and your pp on this one. I prefer the repost since I feel the pads are leading us to the flower which stands well on its own. I also like it's placement in the frame. The small bud is a bit distracting for me and kind of breaks the flow. Very nicely seen, captured and presented.

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    Hi John, my vote...pane #4...

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