The Darling buds of May*

Image Critiques Flora Critiques
1

*Sonnet 18, William Shakespeare
An 8 image focus stack from last May. Day lilies are among my favorite flower subjects, along with irises.

2018-05-14-10brp
2018-05-14-10brp1600×1142 991 KB

What technical feedback would you like if any?

Any stacking artifacts, missed focuses, etc.

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Balance, positioning, hue and saturation

Any pertinent technical details:

Camera Info: Nikon D750
Lens: VR 180mm f/2.8G
Focus Mode: Manual
AF-Area Mode: Single
VR: OFF
Aperture: f/4.5
Shutter Speed: 1/100s
Exposure Mode: Aperture Priority
Metering: Spot
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 200
87% of ffull frame
PP in LR/PS CC 2018, Zerene stacker Pro, Topaz and Camera Raw filters, TK Sharpen for Web @ 50%

You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
1 Like
2

What a nice stack…the buds are awesome, really stand out.
The sharp leaf above I might take out if you can and I would tone down the leaf in the RHC.

3

Lovely, Phil. I like the composition and your stacking is excellent as usual. The only nit I can find is the out of focus tip of a petal sticking out in the upper left quadrant of the bloom.

4

Thank you, gentlemen. I toned down the leaf in the lrc and eliminated the OOF petal tip. The truncated sharp leaf atop the flower I left alone. It’s a good leading line and an awful chore to clone and replace.

2018-05-14-10brp
2018-05-14-10brp1600×1142 992 KB

5

Hi Phil,

Nice job on the stacking and you captured some ideal sharpness on this lily. I would reduce the cyans down slightly as the greens seem to be a bit blue on my monitor…Jim

6

Sweet, Phil. The upper leaf works fine!

7

Can’t comment on stacking, but the final image is beautiful. No nits here.

8

Phil: Wonderful subject superbly rendered. I like how much environment you’re showing here. I’m OK with the leaves in the original and repost both. The drops are nice icing on a fine cake.>=))>