Iris Attack

[Dennis Bishop]

It was a little over two years from the time I took the shots until I processed this, yesterday, but I can distinctly remember that it was all about the iris leaves. The daffodils were intentionally unfocused.

What's the title all about? Here's the story. As my images venture further from photorealism, they become less appealing to my wife. "But what did it really look like?" She hesitated only briefly when I asked her what she thought of this one. She couldn't say she liked it, and she didn't want to say she didn't. Her response was something like, "It looks like you photographed Roman soldiers going into battle and only got their swords."

Nikon D2X, ISO 100, four exposure HDR, f/2.8, zoom lens at 200mm (300 equivalent with the APS-C sensor)

post processing

• Photomatix -- tone mapping for a good histogram
• Adobe Camera RAW -- fix clipped highlights, small amount of Clarity, some tweaking of saturation and luminance in HSL
• cropped from the left (right as you see it, now) for composition
• Topaz Simplify -- preset based on BuzSim but with less saturation
• Flypaper Textures texture
• Alien Skin Snap Art -- modified Impasto Abstract Impressionist preset applied to background but not leaves
• two Flypaper Textures textures
• Joel Olives texture -- same texture on two layers with different blend modes
• Hue/Saturation adjustment layer (darken and desaturate) applied only to the larger leaf on what is now the left
• Kim Klassen texture
• two Fractalius b&w layers based on Sketch (one partially masked), Multiply blend mode
• Alien Skin Snap Art -- Stylize Line Art b&w layer, partially masked, Multiply blend mode
• Nik Color Efex -- Tonal Contrast, Darken/Lighten Center
• freeform vignette
• stamped all visible layers and flipped them horizontally for composition (shoulda done that a lot earlier in the workflow)

[Cheryl Slechta]

Dennis, I can tell a lot of thought and work went into this and it is reflected in the final result. I really like this a lot. If I were going to be really, really nit-picky I find the horizontal line in the texture that intersects the outer small leaf on the left hand side to be mildly (and I mean very mildly) distracting.

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . If I were going to be really, really nit-picky I find the horizontal line in the texture that intersects the outer small leaf on the left hand side to be mildly (and I mean very mildly) distracting.

Thanks very much for your comments, Cheryl, and for pointing out that line. Especially since I started reading David duChemin's Photographically Speaking, I've been trying very hard to be careful about what's included in the frame, but I missed that. I'm glad you pointed it out. The fix has been made. It was very easy with Content Aware Fill and the Spot Healing Brush.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Dennis, thanks for the book title - I'll have to check it out.

[Dennis Bishop]

Dennis, thanks for the book title - I'll have to check it out.

I'm only on Page 19, but -- at the risk of revealing something about me that might better remain unknown -- there's been something on nearly every page that absolutely resonates with me. By itself, the humor on the partial page with the heading, (Way Too Much) About the Author, is nearly worth the cost of the book. If you buy it on Amazon, that is, instead of paying the full price.

[Jay Sheinfield]

Dennis, I like the image.......excellent processing to get that background. Nice eye on this...........

[Paul Jasso]

Dennis, that book has been sitting on my nightstand for at least three months. For some reason, two teenagers and three under two have cramped my opportunities to read (amongst other things). Hopefully, a three to five day state soccer tournament this weekend and a week in Florida in a couple of weeks will provide some time for family/photography/cooking and reading. We'll have to compare notes when we're done but I will concur on the intro, almost worth the price in and of itself (and quite similar to the books I've written in my head). Oh, and I like the image.

[John Storjohann]

Dennis, this is an interesting composure...and while I love the processing involved, I'd be interested in seeing how this would look as a softer image as well...the nuances of greens, the subtle texturing, the graceful lines and the beautiful pastel like quality of the background would seem to lend themselves to a softer presentation. Just thinking out loud...and that's my vision, not yours! Nicely done.

[denise ippolito]

Dennis, I like the slight shadows and how they add interest and depth to the image. Very creative. The colors and textures are lovely.