One for Katy, one for Kay, one for Mary, one for my wife, and one for Donald...

[rob marshall]

DONALD!!! Relax, babes, it's just to keep in with the Mods.

I think this puts me firmly ahead in the CiC Charm School, wouldn't you say, Donald?

All shot this afternoon in the space of three hours - which I thought was pretty impressive. You may disagree... Canon 5D MkII and Sigma 105mm macro. Flowers were at Clyne Public Gardens in Swansea. My DB carried the 055XPROB tripod.

For Donald - Aquilegia



One for Kay - Orchid



One for Mary - Clematis



For my DB - Osteospermum



For Katy - Peony

[Katy Noelle]

Geesh! They're all perfectly gorgeous!!! Three hours on an afternoon, you say? sigh.

and the peony is so beautifully impressionistic.... I have no idea what to say....

VAaaary charming.... all of them!

[ilovelucydog]

I think this puts me firmly ahead in the CiC Charm School, wouldn't you say, Donald?

Rob~ I don't know what Donald will say, but I say... absolutely yes! They are all beautiful and each one different. Thanks you charming guy.

[agaace]

Love peony the most! Awesome image!

[Colin Southern]

DONALD!!! Relax, babes, it's just to keep in with the Mods.

So where's Dave's and Mine? Huh? Huh?

Any special treatment on the last one - almost looks a bit like a lens baby?

[wilgk]

Gorgeous Rob! - did I say that out loud?

[Donald]

1. Agata - Hello. Good to see you.

2 - I want Katy's!!

Lovely, lovely work, Rob. A lesson for all of us in how capture these sorts of images - look at the rest of the frame folks, not just the flower. There's nothing interfering with the attention on the main subject.

[rob marshall]

So where's Dave's and Mine? Huh? Huh?

Any special treatment on the last one - almost looks a bit like a lens baby?

Colin

No, not a lens baby. It's a little technique I developed - although others have no doubt done it. It gives the impression that you have zoomed the lens, while at the same time fixed the main subject area. You could do the same thing with two shots on a tripod so long as the subject was still. I use it for flowers, but you could use it with portraits, still-life etc. When other processing is finished do this...

1. Add a new duplicate layer.
2. Select the main focus area of the shot (the front petals in this case) using the elliptical marquee tool.
3. Feather the selection to the maximum feather limit to get a nice smooth transition.
4. Reverse the selection so the focus area is not selected, but everything else is.
5. Apply a radial blur FILTER/BLUR/RADIAL BLUR and use the 'zoom' setting. You need to adjust the limit slider when you do it.
6. If the effect is too much reduce the opacity of the blur layer to about 80%, else flatten the shot and you are done.

Here is another that I did some time ago. And as I forgot you and Dave it's just for you two!

[rob marshall]

Love peony the most! Awesome image!

OMG! Agata! I forgot you. I knew there was someone else (insert self-slapping smilie here)

For Agata...

The Iris Wood also shot yesterday.

[Colin Southern]

Colin

No, not a lens baby. It's a little technique I developed - although others have no doubt done it. It gives the impression that you have zoomed the lens, while at the same time fixed the main subject area. You could do the same thing with two shots on a tripod so long as the subject was still. I use it for flowers, but you could use it with portraits, still-life etc. When other processing is finished do this...

1. Add a new duplicate layer.
2. Select the main focus area of the shot (the front petals in this case) using the elliptical marquee tool.
3. Feather the selection to the maximum feather limit to get a nice smooth transition.
4. Reverse the selection so the focus area is not selected, but everything else is.
5. Apply a radial blur FILTER/BLUR/RADIAL BLUR and use the 'zoom' setting. You need to adjust the limit slider when you do it.
6. If the effect is too much reduce the opacity of the blur layer to about 80%, else flatten the shot and you are done.

Thanks Rob,

You're a sculler, but a gentleman!

I bequest my youngest daughter to you! (no returns!)

[rob marshall]

Good shot, Colin - it really stands out with lots of punch. Talking of which... what happens if you don't keep your room tidy? Does she get angry, or just confiscate your iPhone?

[arith]

I like the last one (Peony); looks like you got something there.

[ilovelucydog]

Colin

No, not a lens baby. It's a little technique I developed - although others have no doubt done it. It gives the impression that you have zoomed the lens, while at the same time fixed the main subject area. You could do the same thing with two shots on a tripod so long as the subject was still. I use it for flowers, but you could use it with portraits, still-life etc. When other processing is finished do this...

1. Add a new duplicate layer.
2. Select the main focus area of the shot (the front petals in this case) using the elliptical marquee tool.
3. Feather the selection to the maximum feather limit to get a nice smooth transition.
4. Reverse the selection so the focus area is not selected, but everything else is.
5. Apply a radial blur FILTER/BLUR/RADIAL BLUR and use the 'zoom' setting. You need to adjust the limit slider when you do it.
6. If the effect is too much reduce the opacity of the blur layer to about 80%, else flatten the shot and you are done.

Here is another that I did some time ago. And as I forgot you and Dave it's just for you two!

Oh my gosh, Rob. This image is amazing... I want it... no... I need it on my wall. Okay... i'll just drool here.

[ilovelucydog]

I bequest my youngest daughter to you! (no returns!)

[/QUOTE]

Ummmm.... there has to be some sort of law against this type of thing.

P.S. She's a beauty.

[rob marshall]

I like the last one (Peony); looks like you got something there.

Thanks, Steve. It was an easy shot. I just used spot metering as the flower was very bright and in full sun. That dampened down all the background tones. The technique for the zoom blur that I detailed just gives it something extra.

[rob marshall]

Oh my gosh, Rob. This image is amazing... I want it... no... I need it on my wall. Okay... i'll just drool here.

Thanks, Mary. Try it yourself. Just get a good clean shot of a flower, boost the colours slightly and get a good contrast in Photoshop (or whatever you use) then apply the zoom technique.

[ilovelucydog]

Thanks, Mary. Try it yourself. Just get a good clean shot of a flower, boost the colours slightly and get a good contrast in Photoshop (or whatever you use) then apply the zoom technique.

I will give it a try. Thanks for the great instructions.

[Wirefox]

Rob

They are all excellent and beautifully produced but Katy's peony takes the prize by a long way in my opinion. The processing gives a fluidity to what is usually very static subject matter. I have tried this with people but never still life. Great stuff.

This could be interesting - The Welsh ram and the Scots stag locking horns. In fact do you know something this must be the most female friendly photography forum on the internet. Most forums seem to dismiss the 'little ladies' in haze of testostrone drenched misogynistic buttock slapping. Here they are given flowers, encouragement and equality. In fact they rule the forum....and we wouldn't have it any other way.

And for the uninitiated that was not a chat up line - so dont try it at home

[rob marshall]

... In fact do you know something this must be the most female friendly photography forum on the internet. Most forums seem to dismiss the 'little ladies' in haze of testostrone drenched misogynistic buttock slapping. Here they are given flowers, encouragement and equality. In fact they rule the forum....and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Absolutely! I can't stand the male geek forums (you see, I don't insist upon 'fora') The ladies often make much better photographers, especially from an artistic perspective.

And as you mention slapping - I have to tell you that I keep a 'Wednesday afternoon' list for ladies that I meet/know. It's really just a list of nice ladies whom I would like to invite around for afternoon tea on Wednesdays. For example, I was out to lunch today with the DB at a vegetarian restaurant. As I was munching, rabbit-like, through my Linda McCartney soya burger with alfalfa sprouts and high-grown organic beans that had their chakras realigned, the most delightful waitress went by. I found myself mumbling, as I splatted bean-burger over the DB and the rest of the surrounding tables, "Gosh... Wednesday afternoon..." But then the sound of loud sharp face-slapping intervened. T'was ever thus! The fate of my life. Another '99' Flake moment...

[wilgk]

Oh my goodness
I just fell off my chair laughing ... what on earth were you doing in such a place? - vegetarian indeed - next thing you'll be holding up placards touting 'land rights for gay whales' or some such nonsense!

And will these gorgeous images sway the faithful away from the kilted tractor fancier? .... I don't think so - I think it's the cuddly aspect to him that wins us over..
Although please do keep trying - we like receiving flowers, sort of on a par with being told one's derrière does not look big in that dress really
And from the least artistic of the ladies (maybe something to do with the whole tomboy/Kevin thing ...hmm I wonder)
anyway - a very big thankyou to all the blokes for making us feel so welcome
We may not rule, but as long as we steer you where we want you most of the time we're happy.
And do not under any circumstances start feeling sorry for BC - well at least until the end of the year when he finishes the commuting job and suddenly has hours in his day to find out what I'm really like