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Thread: Orange blossom

  1. #1

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    Orange blossom

    Here's an attempt at macro photography. I like the result but others may think otherwise.
    Orange blossom
    Last edited by cliveanne; 16th March 2012 at 12:44 AM.

  2. #2

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    Re: Orange blossom

    ISO 200
    Apature 5.6
    f6.4
    Exposure 1/70
    White balance Manual
    Flash not used
    Information from Picasa 3
    Last edited by cliveanne; 16th March 2012 at 12:51 AM.

  3. #3

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    Re: Orange blossom

    Peter. I would say that your basic shot has promise but there are a number of points which I would do differently.

    The flower and rather close background are very similar so that may cause some problems. The flower is somewhat dark. It looks as though it was in a bit of shade, although that can be an advantage, and the camera has probably exposed for the lighter background; which has added to the dark petals.

    So starting with this photo, I would lighten the overall brightness, but be careful not to end up with an excessively over exposed background or the brighter areas of petals. In reality, I may work with a mask to selectively apply the brightness.

    There are several elements in the background which I would wish to alter. There is a small piece of another stem in the top right corner which adds nothing but distraction so I would remove it.

    The stem on the left is out of focus and too dominant so I would change that by cropping closer to the flower. And on the bottom, I would remove the wire.

    I think all of these elements could be improved simply by a closer crop, or maybe a mixture of crop and clone. This may need cropping to a different width/height ratio; but you could possibly end up retaining the present ratio. I think it is a case of try it and see how things work.

    Overall though, I think this shot is good enough to justify the extra effort to get it just right.

  4. #4

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    Re: Orange blossom

    Quote Originally Posted by Geoff F View Post
    Peter. I would say that your basic shot has promise but there are a number of points which I would do differently.

    The flower and rather close background are very similar so that may cause some problems. The flower is somewhat dark. It looks as though it was in a bit of shade, although that can be an advantage, and the camera has probably exposed for the lighter background; which has added to the dark petals.

    So starting with this photo, I would lighten the overall brightness, but be careful not to end up with an excessively over exposed background or the brighter areas of petals. In reality, I may work with a mask to selectively apply the brightness.

    There are several elements in the background which I would wish to alter. There is a small piece of another stem in the top right corner which adds nothing but distraction so I would remove it.

    The stem on the left is out of focus and too dominant so I would change that by cropping closer to the flower. And on the bottom, I would remove the wire.

    I think all of these elements could be improved simply by a closer crop, or maybe a mixture of crop and clone. This may need cropping to a different width/height ratio; but you could possibly end up retaining the present ratio. I think it is a case of try it and see how things work.

    Overall though, I think this shot is good enough to justify the extra effort to get it just right.
    Geoff F, WOW. Thanks for that, it is just what I needed.
    Having looked again at the picture, I see what you mean. I was so pleased with the flower & did not "see" the distractions.

    The flower was in the shade...Me, I was in an Orangery with the sun at my back behind some trees, taken around 16:30. Focusing was difficult as I had to almost stand on one leg & lean into the subject. (Perhaps I should have zoomed in instead).

    Regarding your comment on using a mask. I am in the very early stages of working with layers, I have had Elements10 now for a few weeks, & it is quite a steep learning curve, so this is something I will be addressing quite soon. I can crop, do a basic lighten/darken, clone, alter backgrounds with a second layer plus a few other basic jobs.

    Getting the image right the first time into the camera would have been better , but, it is not always as easy as it looks.
    Once again, thank you for your constructive criticism, it is appreciated & welcomed.

    PS. Should I save images I am working on as a TIFF file? My camera Finepix 2800HD does not do RAW
    Last edited by cliveanne; 17th March 2012 at 08:26 AM. Reason: Another thougt

  5. #5

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    Re: Orange blossom

    If you are doing experimental editing on a photo, I would definitely save the original, unaltered, as a Tiff. You can then keep returning to the original, which won't suffer any quality loss, and keep trying new things as your editing skills improve.

  6. #6

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    Re: Orange blossom

    Ah, "Save as" from jpeg first. (Why did I not think about that ) I have the original tucked away safe & sound. New folder to be created "Editing,TIFF only".
    Thank you.
    P.

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