Thanks to @Nao_Koju and @Diane_Miller for some great suggestions, here’s a rework:
Original Post:
I’m not sure about the ID for this little flower, surely a Daisy of some sort. I kinda like how this image came together.
Any comments appreciated.
110mm, 1/210 sec @ f/2, ISO 100, Polarizer, Handheld.
Hey, David. I wasn’t familiar with this flower, either so I downloaded your file to iNaturalist for ID. No wonder I didn’t recognize it as it appears to be Common Madia, Madia elegans, native to Washington State southward to Baja, Ca. It is daisy-like, as you noted. iNaturalist says it is strongly scented? An interesting wildflower; thanks for posting. At any rate, this is a really nice, sorta dreamy look at this wildflower. Very nicely presented with the oof flowers in the background. Well done.
Lovely image of a plant with an unlovely name! It’s commonly called tarweed from the peculiar scent, vaguely turpentine-like. I love the composition and the way the DOF falls off, with the main bloom so nicely sharp and the secondary ones beautifully soft. Well done!! (I think I’m coveting your lens…)
If I had a small nit, it would be that the browns at the top pull my eye. I wonder about bending them toward greens? (Should be easy with Selective Color or Hue-Sat.)
@terryb, thanks for the identification. I will add it to the meta data for future reference. There were tons of these flowers at the local wildlife preserve but I did not smell anything.
Diane, I like your idea of bending browns to green. Easy to do as you said. I’ll give it a try. If you want a similar lens, check out the Canon 85mm f/1.2 lens L lens. It was my favorite till I went to Fujifilm. I don’t know if they make a version for mirrorless yet…
They do have an RF version now. It’s pricey but maybe worth a rental. There is also a 50 and a 105.
Beautiful image, David! I like the color and the tone of BG. It’s nicely matching with the yellow flowers. There’s a nice movement from BR to TL. I am wondering if the top flower would be blurred (by post-processing) as much as the flowers in the back.
I loved my 50mm f1.2 when I had it. If you do decide to rent, you might also get an extension tube as these don’t focus very closely. I use a tube on my 110…
I think @Nao_Koju has a good point about the top flower.
I’m drooling on my keyboard about the RF 85 version with a “DS” (defocus smoothing) coating that is designed to improve bokeh at wide apertures. Other elements of the lens design are said to greatly reduce color fringing and other optical aberrations that have been a disappointment with Canon “high end” lenses for years.
MFD is almost 3 ft, vs. 1 ft on the 50, so yes on ETs in either case.
Like all good lenses, this one is priced by the pound, but looks to be well worth it.
Thanks @Nao_Koju and @Diane_Miller for your comments. For blurring the top flower, how does this look?
Cheers,
David
Superb!! I opened two browser windows to toggle between, and it shows how much a small difference can make a big difference!
I personally like the rework. But it’s of course a matter of personal taste.
Really nice David. I too like the updated version. The changes are small, and I wouldn’t have thought of them, but I like them.
