The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Having friends with nice gardens saves me a lot of time – I just go steal images. This one is from a couple of weeks ago and is showing a bit of damage from hot weather. That was enough excuse for leaving the visitor (an ant?) in place.
A focus stack with slight tonal corrections to the raw files – mostly pulling down highlights for a bit more detail. The result went into PS to darken the BG but less so on the bud. Slight crop from the right and a small slice added to the bottom. A touch of saturation on the stamen.
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Diane: You can visit our garden anytime you like. We have a very similar variant which is kind of quiet now but as the weather cools a bit it will start blooming again. I really like what you did with this and like that you were able to include the bud and retain some nice subtle subdued details in the BG. Fine capture and a superbly crafted final result. >=))>
Excellent, Diane. I really like the presentation of this flower. I also find it interesting that the bud is so yellow-I’d never expect tit to develop into a flower like this.
Thanks, @Bill_Fach and @Dennis_Plank! Bill, it’s a good thing for you that I’m so far away or I would be making a complete pest of myself in what is obviously a paradise! Keep showing everyone how amazing it is!! Dennis, the bud color is from the light yellowish-green sepals that cover the bud before opening.
Interesting! I had the same thought as @Dennis_Plank looking at that. Not a complaint though, because the yellow makes a lovely contrast to the flower. I agree that the flower itself is beautiful and well presented, and the ant is a nice little easter egg when viewed large.
Beautiful exposure and the ant is actually a very tiny spider. The dark BG works well with isolating the subject while hiding distractions present in the BG. Well done…Jim
Diane, this looks great. I’m a big fan of showing nature as it is, which routinely means not perfect (or not quite perfect) and the slight fading in the bloom shows that well, even as the bloom and especially the center parts of the flower are beautiful. The bud is a good addition and as others have noted, the color difference is a big surprise.
Thanks, @Mark_Seaver! I need to start paying more attention to flower buds because I don’t know if the green coloring is common. It isn’t the petals but a protective covering over them. It is folded back around the stem on the back of the open flower. On my orchids, it is actually the petals, that turn color as they open.
