Does this work OK?

[Geoff F]

In a recent post about out of season flowers I mentioned that I wasn't totally happy about some shots of a fuchsia flower taken outside in poor conditions.

So I've been trying again under more controllable conditions but wanted to experiment with something other than a plain background.





I'm not sure if this works or not; and I've been looking at them for too long to give an objective decision.

Originally the background was a little noisy so I've added a little Blur brush to these.

Don't worry about the flower not being a perfect specimen. I'm just interested in the basic principle here.

And, of course, some different backgrounds may well work better. This is just a first experiment.

[Polar01]

I like the first shot, to me the second background takes away from the fuchsia flower.

[Shadowman]

It's definitely different.

[Donald]

Yes. Very much so. Super.

No. For me there's too much competing with the flower.

[Goldcoastgolfer]

I'm of the same mind as everyone else. The first one is great. The second one has too much going on.

[Kris V]

+1

[FrankMi]

Nice sharp, colorful images, Geoff. My kind of picture!

[MilT0s]

The first one is really great.
Besides what others mentioned I think I can see a halo and some artifacts (jpg?) in the second one (bottom of the picture).

[Jules]

Hi, great idea for a wonderful flower. I like the tone of the second flower (seems a little more muted on my screen) and the background of the first image! Is that asking too much? Jules

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the replies. This confirms that my experiments are along lines which are worth pursuing.

Indoor shots, without extra lighting. Near a window but not direct sunlight; long exposures on tripod with mirror lock up and cable release. Cut flower stuck in a plant pot and arranged for best angle.

Proper studio lighting may be worth trying but at the moment I don't own anything like this.

The experiment was to use prints of various landscapes/sky shots as a background instead of a plain white or black card.

I will continue trying different backgrounds. Might even work for outdoor shots.

Definitely not a new idea, in fact as old as photography itself, but the first time I have tried this method seriously.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Geoff,

I think the reason the second doesn't work is (as has been said) because they compete.

If the two subjects complemented each other, things might be different; e.g. fields of fuschias (unlikely) or perhaps if the foreground object was something 'obviously' the same as what is growing in the fields.

Further; the rainbow adds a third term into the equation.


The first shot works because it is simpler.
Perhaps if the fuschia were 'raindropped' and still sunlit (from the correct angle), then the rainbow would be OK here.

Hope that helps,