I Finally Got in the Water....

[Arthur Morris]

Risked attack by big gators, but had lots of fun. Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II with the 1.4X III TC on the Mongoose M3.6/Gitzo 3530 LS. ISO 200. This is a 7-frame AEB HDR: +/- one stop around Evaluative metering at zero: 1/800 sec. at f/8.

At times, when I was careless for a moment, the bottom of the camera was in the lake as deep as 1/4 inch. Ooops but no problema .

Photomatix HDR. Tone mapping. STR: 73, Col Sat: 78, Lum: 8.3, Det. Contr: 10, Natural +, Sm. High: 0, White Pt: 0.010%, Black Pt: 0.044&, Gamma: 1.00, Temp: 0, Micro-smoothing: 18.1, Sat. High: 0, Sat Sh: -2.5, Shad. Smooth: 0, Sh. Clip: 0.

It was the high Micro Smoothing setting the made the whites pop and gave me the look I was after.

Bug and other clean-up. Will share the before on my blog tonight.

Don't be shy: all comments welcome.

[Ken Childs]

Hey Artie, this is one of the best HDR images I've seen in awhile! I love it when an HDR image doesn't look like an HDR image....so many are way overdone and look like they were taken on another planet! This one looks natural which is how it should be. Lovely comp and colors and that reflection is killer!

You're a brave man to take that equipment low into the water. Gators don't scare me but I'd be terrified of getting my equipment wet!

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Ken. I was actually way more worried about a gator; I routinely trash my gear . And to think, I am a huge fan of HDR grunge....

[John Storjohann]

grHi Artie;

Great job on the HDR processing...maintained detail in the whites while still have that glow...the hints of yellow near the top and in the sepals add another dimension to the color of the lily. The low angle is unique and really helps create a strong composition...I REALLY like where the sepal lying across the pad then goes into the curl of the pad. If it were mind, I might clone out the gray/green in the LLC...and I'd blur the BG just a bit...as it is, the layers of pads and water are parallel enough that it almost looks like a series of bands. A nice touch is not only the reflection of the lily in the water beneath the bloom but the reflection in the thin layer of water resting atop the pad...very cool.

[Brendan Dozier]

I argee with Ken, Artie, nice job on the HDR without the grunge look. Though the grunge works really well for things like old rusty trucks, I think this natural look works well with this subject. Way to get a little wet in search of that great low angle. (I was lying on my side in the mud for mine!) Nicely composed image, and like the reflection and the turned up pad on rt. Great job on the whites in what looks like somewhat bright light and like the precise image clean-up, which is nicely demonstrated on your blog. My only nit is that I'm not 100% on how the HDR effect looks on the BG and water, wanting it to be cleaner, may just need to grown on me a bit. Nice work, and would be cool to see what further creative things you could do with this image in OOTB!

[Jason Hurst]

Beautiful image, Artie. I love how you kept a wonderful balance between keeping the entire scene sharp, while also maintaining a "look" or feel of "softness" to the flower petals. Gives it a pure touch of "realism". Well done.

[Paul Lagasi]

This image might have turned in to a blur real fast if a gater would have come by....lovely resulting image, low angele, reflection and effects....your braver than I am...

[Ron Sprunger]

Forget the HDR, that's the best water lily pic I've ever seen, and I've seen plenty (a favorite subject of my son). While I occasionally see a grunge HDR that I like (you posted a knockout of a barber chair in a prison), my only interest in HDR to date is to capture a greater dynamic range than otherwise possible, and make it look natural. You've accomplished that in spades. I love the hints of pink and yellow at the tips of the petals, while retaining that translucent water lily texture. And the cleanup worked wonders -- great job of blending in the blur in LRC.

[denise ippolito]

Artie, You are crazy! Stay out of that water!! Beautiful water lily captured in the wild. Color combo looks great and you maintained a nice sheen on the whites. Well done with the low angle too.

[Andrew McLachlan]

Hi Arthur, beautiful capture. Nice clean pads and blossom too! All our water lilies are done for the year now. The nice thing about shooting water lilies in Ontario.....no gators.

[Anita Bower]

I like the blues and greens! The white of the flower is just perfect, as is the reflection. Lovely composition and angle of view. The only distraction for me is the hole in the leaf to the right, which looks out of place amid such perfection. Agree about cloning the dark areas in LL. This is the first flower image with HDR that makes me think HDR might be worth it for flower macros.

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks Anita. I don't mind the hole--it would be an easy repair. And to think, I rarely do flowers and this was my first-ever flower HDR.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Arthur, beautiful capture. Nice clean pads and blossom too! All our water lilies are done for the year now. The nice thing about shooting water lilies in Ontario.....no gators.

Thanks Andrew. They are pretty much done here too. Next year!

[Arthur Morris]

grHi Artie; Great job on the HDR processing...maintained detail in the whites while still have that glow...the hints of yellow near the top and in the sepals add another dimension to the color of the lily. The low angle is unique and really helps create a strong composition...I REALLY like where the sepal lying across the pad then goes into the curl of the pad. If it were mind, I might clone out the gray/green in the LLC...and I'd blur the BG just a bit...as it is, the layers of pads and water are parallel enough that it almost looks like a series of bands. A nice touch is not only the reflection of the lily in the water beneath the bloom but the reflection in the thin layer of water resting atop the pad...very cool.

Thanks John. Working on that lower left corner would be problematic at best as I would need to deal with the reflection of tips of the petals. I never noticed the darker tones there till you mentioned them and I do not hate them as they act as somewhat of a border and are not dark enough to be obtrusive . I've got nothing against bands and am happy with the look of the BKGR . I do appreciate your thoughtful comments and those of the rest of the gang.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Artie. I'm late to the party and I haven't used HDR so I can't comment on the technique, but the results speak for themselves! Almost drowning your gear paid off. Beautiful subtle details in the whites and I love the slight soft focus look on the flower which gives the image a bit of a dreamy look. The background could have been rather busy and distracting, but it is rendered pleasingly OOF by your low shooting angle (i.e., being in the water) and by using f/8 instead of something higher - just the way you planned it, I expect. This is outstanding!

[Arthur Morris]

Thanks a stack Steve. You are doing a great job here and I look forward to the Falklands/South Georgia trip! Did you check out the before and after on this one at my blog? Jeez. Just checked. I never posted the link here...

Here it is finally: September 24, 2011. Nothing dramatic but a nice comparison.