Miniature Irises

[Daisy Mae]

These little flower heads are the size of my thumbnail so it was a chance to exercise my macro muscles.


Breaking Free by Sharon Reid2010, on Flickr


Minature Iris by Sharon Reid2010, on Flickr


Minature Iris by Sharon Reid2010, on Flickr



Minature Iris by Sharon Reid2010, on Flickr

[Mark von Kanel]

Nice work again Sharon but not as good as the crocus's you did last time

[Daisy Mae]

Nice work again Sharon but not as good as the crocus's you did last time

I agree Mark.... It has been hard to move on from the crocuses and the iris petals are denser and less responsive to the light but you work with what you have available .This was much more a macro exercise.

I suspect tulips may be next.

[Geoff F]

Iris reticulata, in a number of forms, is so difficult to photograph well but I think you have come as close as possible with #3.

That stunning natural colour never seems to reproduce well for me. Every year I try but over 90% of my shots get ditched. I've even brought a flower indoors to place alongside my computer to give me a colour guide. But they seem to change colour as soon as they come inside.

Most things are early this year but nothing seen from this species so far; although the slightly paler and more delicate Iris unguicularis has been flowering occasionally for nearly a month. But these more delicate petals have been getting damaged by the wind and rain so I haven't tried to shoot one yet this year.

[Daisy Mae]

Thank you ever so much Geoff.

[FrankMi]

The third one, in particular, has beautiful lighting and color tone. If you can, you might want to play with the original to reduce the noise a bit.

I hope you don't mind, I tickled it with a touch of Topaz DeJpeg to see if it would help.

[Daisy Mae]

Of course I don't mind Frank.

Thank you very much, it looks great.

[ScoutR]

Sharon these are wonderful, the lighting and the colours. There is not one that I would not be proud to have taken. I really like the look of the last one, the lighting and all the blue tones are beautiful. Well done

Wendy

[Kathy O]

I agree with Wendy, they are fantastic . . . I would say breathtaking!

[Ricco]

Sharon - I just wanted to give you a taste of something different. I posted this on to this site a while ago and it is a similar iris to what you have photographed. Now - the only reason that I've reposted it is to show you not to be scared of trying something different. Your photos were probably taken at the exposure suggested by the camera, but don't be scared to see what happens when you dial it up to over expose or similar to this example, dial it down to underexpose.

You can end up with different results that can be pretty effective in their own right!

However - I should say, that maybe you don't like it at all and enjoy the scenes as presented - in this case, that is great as well!

[joewatt]

Ricco's comment on underexposing flower photos made me think of this one of a camelia that I took a while ago -

[Daisy Mae]

Thank you ever so much Wendy and Kathy....very kind of you.

Ricco and Joe, if you look at my flickr site and the flowers section you will see that it is my usual style to underexpose flower pics for that awesome richness. However lately when I post things up I have been getting it in the neck from certain quarters about under exposure.This has made me cautious about my exposure.

I am glad you agree with me.

Both of your pics are gorgeous.

[Rob Douglas]

Great work Sharon. #2 does it for me. Composition, color, and lighting are beautiful.

[Daisy Mae]

Thanks Rob.

[joewatt]

Sharon, I looked at your flower photos on Flickr and I love your style! The slight underexposure gives them a richness and depth that I really like.

[Daisy Mae]

Sharon, I looked at your flower photos on Flickr and I love your style! The slight underexposure gives them a richness and depth that I really like.

Thank you so much Joe, I really appreciate you having a look and thanks to you and Ricco I will happily underexpose once more and be damned by the Histogram lovers! xx

[Bobobird]

Great shots Daisy, I really like them all.

[Daisy Mae]

Thank you Bobo.

[Ricco]

Sharon - the histogram is a guide. There are occasions that you would want to under expose, times for "correct" exposure and times for over exposing.

In my mind, everyone that picks up a camera can get the "correct" automatic exposure that is suggested by the camera. I think generally, you need to find what makes your photos different to the stock standard (and don't worry - I am constantly looking for this in my photos also). A different exposure at least provides a point of difference.

Having said that, provided you are happy with the output, I think that is all that matters.

For the record - I enjoyed your photos as they were also.

[Daisy Mae]

Beautifully put Ricco!