@Lon_Overacker. I put the flower on a separate layer because I’ve never figured out how masking really works, and it let’s me mess with the background in broad strokes without affecting the flower. I’m pretty klutzy, so if I don’t do something like that, I’m sure to brush over something I don’t want to mess with. In my bird photography, I almost always want to do some processing to the subject that’s different from the background, so it’s just habit to separate them.
Wow, thank you Lon. It sure looks great! I just may give it a try in PS and see what I can do. You are right, there is so much value here at NPN. I am learning in both photography and editing techniques as well, which I have felt was my weakest point, but even that has improved since I joined a year and a half ago. Thank you, Dennis for explaining the reason you do what you do as well.