Round-lobed hepatica growing next to my driveway. Between rain showers I went out to see what I could do. It was bright, but still overcast and in the 40s so the flowers didn’t open. Too lovely to pass up though. The plants in the wooded areas of the yard are still buried under many inches of leaf litter. By the end of the month they’ll be up, too. The colors vary quite a bit, but not as much as pointed-lobed hepatica. That variety doesn’t grow in the yard, but I know where it does and might head over for a look.
Hepatica is so named for the shape of its leaves which resemble the lobes of the liver. They are among the earliest wildflowers to bloom, providing much-needed food for many invertebrates. The flowers themselves die back and produce seed pods, but the leaves remain and will often stay green through the winter although many older leaves turn a deep ruby or burgundy, sometimes mottled with green. The leaves here are last year’s - new leaves are bright green and a bit hairier like the stems of new flowers.
Specific Feedback Requested
Rain-saturated so the colors were off the charts. Too much? How about the white balance? Overcast skies sometimes make the camera goof so I try to correct in post. Also, too messy? I cleaned up quite a bit, but didn’t want to make it come off staged.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Lumix G9
Legacy Olympus 90mm f/2 macro (80s vintage from my 35mm rigs)
f/8 or so | 1/125 sec. | ISO 200 | +1/3 EV
beanbag on the ground
Lr processed for tonal range (white & black points), green luminosity down a bit, yellow channel also. White balance adjustment. Clarity & Texture overall, sharpening & nr. Not cropped.
This is a really natural scene, and you managed to get leaves in the BG as far as the eye can see.The two sets of flowers balance each other beautifully and I like the way they’re hanging their heads. I’d clone out the green plant in the lower left. I might also lighten the very dark brown patches in the BG. But it’s a super shot anyway.
Thanks Mike. I had a go with your suggestion on cloning out the small plant. It was a tough one, but I think this might be acceptable. Also dodged a bit of the darker leaves. An improvement?
Kris. I also tried a rework attempting to tone the background down via PS brightness/contrast and also sharpened with Unsharp Mask in PS. I like the rocks in your last posting but did not see them until I had already pulled up the original image. Just a suggestion to make the plant stand out more.
I like the rework as well. The plant isn’t as lost. I appreciate you taking the time. The second image is the same vintage lens, but on the tripod instead of the beanbag so it’s a little higher.
I do like the reworkings very much too. As Patricia hinted, the presence of the rocks at the bottom kind of adds to the shot - but that would be another shot! Good now as is.
