Dandelion moon

[Davejl]

Too windy for garden photos or to cycle for pleasure today and rain threatening, so I messed around with a recent shot.

[PRSearls]

I like your image. It is sharply focused to show the fine detail and symmetry. Is this a single exposure or stacked focusing? This may inspire me to take one of these myself. Black & white treatment looks good. I wonder how this would look in some unnatural color just to catch one's attention? Good job.

Paul S

[James G]

Dave, I like both of these, but particularly the first with it's asymetry.

There is another thread at present with a discussion about minimalism. Your first image fits very much with my understanding of that genre.

[Davejl]

I like your image. It is sharply focused to show the fine detail and symmetry. Is this a single exposure or stacked focusing? This may inspire me to take one of these myself. Black & white treatment looks good. I wonder how this would look in some unnatural color just to catch one's attention? Good job.

Paul S

Thank you Paul. This is the original photo, just cropped square.



It was shot with my Canon 70D and Sigma 105mm Macro with Marumi ring flash. The seed head was "thinner" than the others I shot in the same shoot, so easier to see into.
I converted to black and white with PSE (I normally use Silver Efex). Once in black and white I made a feathered elliptical selection of the flower head and then selected the inverse and kept duplicating this in Multiply blending mode till the background was black. I did clone out the white blurred flower top right first.
The "moon in the sky" thing was simply a blank canvas filled with the black as "eyedroppered" from the dandelion file, with the latter then pasted into it and moved around.

Your suggestion about colour tempts me to experiment further.

Dave

[Davejl]

Dave, I like both of these, but particularly the first with it's asymetry.

There is another thread at present with a discussion about minimalism. Your first image fits very much with my understanding of that genre.

Thanks James.

Since the first image especially involved a fair bit of manipulation as explained in my reply to Paul (which crossed with your post) I do wonder whether it qualifies as minimalist photography or "Photoshopping"? Or does it matter anyhow if one is satisfied with the end result? I can't claim to have had a vision of something I set out to achieve at the point that I clicked the shutter, it was all "after thought".

Dave

[Ziggy]

Very nice Dave. You messed around good.

[NorthernFocus]

Nicely done.

[Shadowman]

Nice set.

[dem]

Great job. Now take a scene with the moon in it, swap the moon for the dandelion and see if anyone notices

[Davejl]

Great job. Now take a scene with the moon in it, swap the moon for the dandelion and see if anyone notices

Funnily enough, my thoughts were running in that direction...

[James G]

Dave,

Since the first image especially involved a fair bit of manipulation as explained in my reply to Paul (which crossed with your post) I do wonder whether it qualifies as minimalist

I don't know if you saw the other thread, but, But my understanding is that minimalism involves conveying something through the least possible number of specific elements. ( I should say that after reading up a bit more, it seems that there are some alternatives to this simplistic view which just hurt my head! )

So, the very fact that you chose to 'eliminate' everything but 'form/structure' as image elements seems to fit the definition.

I suppose it could be made more? minimalist by blurring the dandelion head so the the form element is suggested rather than obvious. Creating something that could be described as structure without form, or form without structure maybe? Head starting to hurt again!

IMO a step too far, I think your 'playing' around has produced an excellent image, and knowing where to stop when you have something good is a definite talent!

[IzzieK]

Great job. Now take a scene with the moon in it, swap the moon for the dandelion and see if anyone notices

I will...I tend to look at some pictures very closely when I have time to really sit down ... it is how I learn.

[Kaye Leggett]

What a good use of a wet afternoon. And looking forward to seeing you progress the concept

[bnnrcn]

Very nice images Dave, I especially like #2