Taken along a road in Wyoming, I believe that this is a Smokey Mariposa Lily. Please let me know if you find it to be different.
The sun was shining and it was quit breezy. One of those days where the flower never stopped in the same place during the brief clam periods. So, I backed up a little to ensure I had the flower in frame when I snapped a photo. Of course the other problem was focus. I just kept working on it.
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments are welcomed.
An earlier version had a darker BG and I had some input (not NPN) that the it was to dark. I created a version with a lighter BG, but didn’t like it. The BG in this version is close to what is in the RAW file.
The bud and stem were much darker and I dodged them. Should they be even lighter?
The front petal appears to lost detail, (right side) but the histogram is within limits. Do you think that this is just how the flower is or another problem?
Should I clone out the plant in the BLC?
The photo has a light vignette. What are your thoughts?
Technical Details
Canon 5D IV | EF-100 Macro Lens | f4 | 1/1000s On tripod
Processed using ACR and Photoshop
The portions of the front petal that are in focus have plenty of detail. This image could use more depth of field as that front petal needs to be sharp through and through. Your crop and comp is good and I like the dark BG. The plant in the lower LH corner can be darkened slightly as it tends to grab my eye. The detail on the base of the petal is quite good and provides a lot of interest for the eye. Well done…Jim
Oh this is so interesting and emotional. Nice catch of a flower I don’t think I’ve ever seen before so thanks for sharing it. The overall composition works for me and the color palate is out of the ordinary so that has interest as well. You’ve asked for specific feedback so here goes -
The BG in this version is close to what is in the RAW file.
Really? It looks a bit murky and if the whites or highlights have been beaten into the ground. When you process in Photoshop, are you using luminosity masking to make adjustments to brightness and contrast? Just curious because I think it might be managed with more finesse than here.
The bud and stem were much darker and I dodged them. Should they be even lighter?
Yes, I think a bit lighter would be more in line with the flower itself. Whenever I have something like this where I’m trying to make an item stand out from the background, I try to manage the overall presence of the light more evenly. For example a mushroom stem versus the cap, of course the cap is going to be lighter, but the stem (if it’s in focus) is also part of the picture I want people to look at and so I will brighten it, but it has to be in keeping with the fact that it was shaded by the cap. What I would do in this case is follow the natural highlights and shadows on the stem and emphasize those by using luminosity masks as stencils with dodging and burning. Very precise and a terrific tool to bring out dimension. The key is to follow the natural direction of the light. The leaf makes a nice counterpoint to the flower and it is getting lost here IMO.
The front petal appears to lost detail, (right side) but the histogram is within limits. Do you think that this is just how the flower is or another problem?
Oh this is so subjective. In this case, I say the leading edge should be in focus because the middle part of the flower is kind of lost in all the darkness and the contrasting light. What I will do on a breezy day is set up the tripod and get the shot lined up and choose different focus points when the breeze calms. If the subject doesn’t move much between them Zerene lines them up well enough. Anything that is off can usually be fixed with the retouching function in the software.
Should I clone out the plant in the BLC?
I would. Shouldn’t be hard given the background.
The photo has a light vignette. What are your thoughts?
Not sure it needs it with the flower being so bright as it is. I usually save vignettes for situations where the dark and light areas aren’t so bold. Then it serves to keep eyes on the middle where the biggest presence might be mid-tones rather than whites and brights.
Nice capture. Calochortus (Mariposa Lily) is one of my favorite genus. I think the background could go even darker to highlight the flower and cloning out the BLC is a good idea. Brightening the stems and bud would help as well. I would also take out the leaves in the BC as well. Beautiful lighting on the flower.
