ORIGINAL POST
RE-POST
Found this in my barn yard on a dewy morning this past week. I’m not done with my PP yet. Wanted to get input before continuing.
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments are welcomed, but I would like your comments on several things:
…If you look to the LR of the dandelion seed head you will see an insect. Leave it in or clone it out?
…I brightened the shadowed areas quite a bit. Do I need to lighten them more?
…I toned down or cloned out the brightest of the dew drops. How do you feel about the current status?
…Are the white ‘feathers’ of the seeds white enough?
…What are your thoughts on composition? I cropped the top of the photo out using a 4:5 ratio
Technical Details
Canon 5D IV | EF100 Macro | f11 | 1/100s | ISO 100 | 100mm
Tripod | Ambient Light
Post processed using ACR and Photoshop
David, I am trying to catch up viewing and commenting. I have had a few busy days here lately. This is an interesting view of a well-worn dandelion head. I like how you captured the dew on it. It almost looks like it is waving at me. I wonder if you were to brighten some of the lower part of the dandelion it would improve the image. Just a thought. Nice as presented.
Hi David. I really like the composition here and the implied circular motion of the feathers and the dandelion.
The light might be a bit harsh though and some of the lovely details in the seeds and the eh… “golf ball” part are lost to shadow and highlight glare (it also looks like that is the area that you focused on). Using a diffuser from the back or a reflector from the front might have improved the shot at capture. In PP I would lighten these areas even more if possible:
trying to extract the maximum amount of detail without getting too much noise.
The bug is to me a great easter egg you spot after a while and I would lighten that as a well a bit making it slightly easier to spot. Would be a shame if people missed it. The crop looks good and I think the white highlights and the whiteness (is that even a word…) of the feathers looks fine as well. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for reviewing my photo and taking the time to comment.
I went out to take photos of backlit dew and had to wait until the sun clear some trees to get the effect I was looking for. I have never considered using a reflector to light the front before. It’s a great idea that I’m going to tryout. I will lighten the front of the dandelion a little more and try to make it so the bug is easier to see. Most of the time I clone bugs out of my photos, but I kind of like this one in it.
Thank you for all of your input. After thinking and working with this for a while, I decided to go with re-post version above. It puts the focus on the dew covered dandelion seeds.
