A sister image to the one I posted in Flora a while back. My love of withered flowers and winter minimalism comes together for a lot of my photography. These are tiny asters - about 1 cm wide - that are the last to bloom in the yard. I love that all the seeds are picked out of each blossom (wildflowers are important food sources for more than pollinators) and that the pale lavender color of their fresh petals has turned yellow and gray/white. So very different.
Specific Feedback Requested
General impressions and ideas for another yard prowl if these are still around.
Technical Details
Handheld
Lr for a big boost in whites to give a more stark appearance. A slight crop and rotation. Work to improve texture and sharpness in the flowers. Messed with HSL panel to finesse colors for more harmony. Photoshop to remove a distraction.
Love this shot, Kris. The white BG does this photo justice. Good chose. I like that the flowers are outlined in brown and match the colors of the leaves making them really stand out against the white BG. Then the inside white petals with the brown lines going through the center of them make those beautiful asters stand out against the white BG. The more I look at this image the more I’m loving it. Wonderful!!
All said above! Wonderful mix of complexity simplified – both in the capture and the processing! No suggestions except to bask in accomplishment. And extra points for handholding.
Thanks to the ladies! @linda_mellor, @Donna_Callais, @Diane_Miller & @brenda_tharp - glad its simplicity struck you, too. I was pretty surprised I could get everything as sharp as it is without having to stack or get out the tripod. Sometimes I just like to wander with the camera and nothing else.
Thanks @Tom_Nevesely & @JohnSnell - glad it speaks to you as it did me. Old flowers and plants just get me in winter. I know they will be back, but it’s sad to see them go.
Absolutely. I’m crazy enough to have kept a dead crow I found on the lawn until it was past the gooshy stage so I could photograph it. The skull and feathers were still beautiful and if I can, I always shoot skulls I find in the woods.
Pretty darn cool image. Warm tones done with high key compositions work well for me. The delicate features of the asters are nice and sharp. Awesome…Jim
Thanks Jim. Winter photography is full of these little delights. So glad for my Leica macro - it is wicked sharp and so tiny that handholding is almost harder for it.
