Sweet Potato Blossom

[JBW]

[bnnrcn]

Very nice

[benm]

Nice photo, especially with the ant, but it looks underexposed.

[Geoff F]

Nice photo, especially with the ant, but it looks underexposed.

That is always a problem with white 'shiny' flowers. But I suspect a fraction more brightness on just the midtones might be possible without over doing those tricky highlights.

Sometimes when faced with this problem I work on a duplicate layer (or adjustment layer) and set the blend mode to Luminosity. But that requires suitable software.

[Ken Curtis]

Hi Brian. Sorry to be so hard on you. Please do not take personally. The last few images have some interesting subject matter, but the lighting is hurting the image. This image is very contrasty. I would like to see more what is in the dark areas. For example, there is a second ant inside the flower, but the view does not get to see him.

I tried to work on some of your images here at home using Gimp. Funny, but I have not found a "Shadows and Highlights" adjustment similar to what exists in other software. You may have to use levels and curves to adjust your images in the computer. As I stated in another one of your posts, you might want to try using some fill flash to bring out the details in the darker areas.

[JBW]

Hi Brian. Sorry to be so hard on you. Please do not take personally. The last few images have some interesting subject matter, but the lighting is hurting the image. This image is very contrasty. I would like to see more what is in the dark areas. For example, there is a second ant inside the flower, but the view does not get to see him.

I tried to work on some of your images here at home using Gimp. Funny, but I have not found a "Shadows and Highlights" adjustment similar to what exists in other software. You may have to use levels and curves to adjust your images in the computer. As I stated in another one of your posts, you might want to try using some fill flash to bring out the details in the darker areas.

it is precicely because this group has been hard on me that my skills have improved. look under colours and you will find colour balance and in there are highlights, mid tones and shadow adjustments. I am still pushing a steep learning curve on those. I sacrificed the second ant and made it a wee bit dark to avoid burned areas it was very bright that day.

[Downrigger]

Brian, I'm agreeing with Ken, here. You have both high contrast and a high degree of color saturation here. There is a result of the sense of great sharpness, which is impressive. The downside is that the image is harsh, and I think more harsh than the gentle subject matter calls for. You might use this sort of contrast and saturation in a shoot of a hotly painted racing car to some useful effect. You shouldn't have to sacrifice much of the sense of sharpness if you can dial down the saturation and contrast (these enhance the sense of, but do not directly constitute "sharpness"). I think then it would be a bit less striking, but more pleasing.

[JBW]

Brian, I'm agreeing with Ken, here. You have both high contrast and a high degree of color saturation here. There is a result of the sense of great sharpness, which is impressive. The downside is that the image is harsh, and I think more harsh than the gentle subject matter calls for. You might use this sort of contrast and saturation in a shoot of a hotly painted racing car to some useful effect. You shouldn't have to sacrifice much of the sense of sharpness if you can dial down the saturation and contrast (these enhance the sense of, but do not directly constitute "sharpness"). I think then it would be a bit less striking, but more pleasing.

I will tone it down bit next tine,

[Ken Curtis]

Hi again, Brian.

You said, "look under colours and you will find colour balance". I just re-looked at the Gimp controls. That control is to adjust colors. It does not provide the ability to lighten shadow areas (for all colors) and darken highlights (for all colors). "Shadows and Highlights" controls are found in Photoshop and Lightroom, and, I suspect in many other software programs.

[JBW]

Hi again, Brian.

You said, "look under colours and you will find colour balance". I just re-looked at the Gimp controls. That control is to adjust colors. It does not provide the ability to lighten shadow areas (for all colors) and darken highlights (for all colors). "Shadows and Highlights" controls are found in Photoshop and Lightroom, and, I suspect in many other software programs.

I will take a look in raw therapy. But for now the free software is all I can afford.