The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
My next failed attempt over several years to get a nice picture of this thing. As soon as a flower opens, bees start attacking the stamens and knocking them off. They got to this one early. There is one more bud in reach and it is above the worst of the irrigation stains. The drive and hilly hike is close to an hour and the opening is hard to predict, so not sure if I’ll try it again this year.
Specific Feedback
All comments welcome!
Technical Details
Almost nothing adjusted in LR; a focus stack in Zerene then some cloning of some sort of droppings and some selective burning. Full frame except for a little crop from the left.
Critique Template
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Diane, I certainly do not see failure. There are dew drops to enjoy. The shades of cream and gold topped with delicate rose give the eye much to enjoy. I was immediately drawn to the “spilled” stamens and the way they move from the center down the petal and onto the leaf. The sharp focus of the subject and the unobtrusive background are a testament to your skill with focus stacking. How many frames did it take? I don’t know about you, but most days I have a few spilled stamens and a scar or two, but that doesn’t keep me home! Thanks for sharing this example of the interdependence of insect and flower.
Thanks, @Barbara_Djordjevic! I never keep track of the number of frames as it varies a lot. The camera menu has a setting for the “spacing” of the consecutive frames, and I usually leave it at about 3 on the scale of 1-10. Then it decides exactly what that spacing is depending on the aperture. I usually set 20 frames for flowers, and look at the viewfinder after a set and if it doesn’t look like it went far enough, I’ll just hit the remote release again to shoot another 20. (Thank all the gods put together for LR’s autostack by capture time.) Then I can expand each stack and go through and choose the subset that starts with the nearest area sharp and ends with the last one I want sharp. That can vary from maybe 10 to sometimes more like 40+ frames.
I keep misusing the terms – but the camera does focus bracketing, where it will increment focus in set steps. Then I stack on the computer. (Some cameras will do stacking but you get a JPEG with no control.) But for years before this camera I did it manually – just staring at the nearest point I want in focus and very carefully moving the focus ring on the lens in the tiniest steps I could. All on a sturdy tripod of course. If I had a smaller aperture I could be a little coarser in the focus steps but too close together is better than too far apart. A big advantage of built-in bracketing is I can use 20 fps and minimize subject movement just a bit.
Not the pristine flower, I’m sure you were after, but it is certainly an interesting portrait, Diane. I had a friend who rented a house that had camelias on either side of the front porch. They bloomed profusely in February during the height of the rainy season here and all the blossoms rotted within days. No way could I ever get a decent image of one.
Thanks, @Dennis_Plank and @Don_Peters! Dennis, I share your frustration with camellias – a friend has a huge bush and the flowers are always trashed by rain. I gave up on them. Don, I like your crop! I shot several limited angles and compositions. I’ll post another one if the stack proves good. (Only a crazy person does stacking on every composition and I’m still working on them.) I was frustrated by not being able to garden around the flower without messing it up.
Diane: Even a non-pristine subject can provide a successful image and I think you achieved that here. We have a number of magnolias and it’s always tough to get them at the precise moment of pristine perfection. I like the litter especially and the subtle hues in the petals. I think you made some pretty good lemonade here. >=))>
Well, I love this! Slightly-past-their-prime flowers are the best. I love the stamens spilling out onto the petal and leaf. Would you be interested in a touch more drama? I could see darkening that URC triangle, then increasing the luminosity between the flower/main leaves and the background. However it’s processed, it’s fine work.
Thanks, @Bill_Fach and @Bonnie_Lampley! Bonnie, I agree about more drama. I always feel torn between realism and drama – but, really, have you ever known a woman who was satisfied with what nature provided?? I’ll get back to this tomorrow and see if I can eke out a bit more drama!
What else can I add? Diane v. Bees is a draw. They got some food and you got an interesting photo that tells much more of a story than a pristine flower would. I like the spill of stamens, too, and prefer the crop that shows them all, but the darker drama is nice as well. So many options and you had the determination to try so it’s a winner.
Thanks, @Kris_Smith and @David_Bostock! And @Bonnie_Lampley got me thinking about drama – it was a cloudy morning and I think I let it go a little flat. And who ever knew a woman who didn’t want to improve on nature, so I’ve done a touchup, posted above.
