Soft, white, focused. (I know the background but it is a flower on a bush)

[JBW]

[pnodrog]

I am curious in you having taken such care with the presentation but not bothered to clone out the yellow leaf and light patches in the background. With very simple fixes you could turn this into the photograph the flower deserves. Some more contrast in the mid and light tones would add a bit more punch.

Basically I am envious in that I never seem to have any luck with growing Gardenias (well I think that's what it is) even though our climate is fine for them....

[JBW]

I am curious in you having taken such care with the presentation but not bothered to clone out the yellow leaf and light patches in the background. With very simple fixes you could turn this into the photograph the flower deserves. Some more contrast in the mid and light tones would add a bit more punch.

Basically I am envious in that I never seem to have any luck with growing Gardenias (well I think that's what it is) even though our climate is fine for them....

We are at @400 meters in the Philippines. Our gardenias grow grow in anywhere from 3 hrs of sunlight to 6 hours. Our temperature is usually in the mid 70's to mid 80's (F).

As for why I didn't clean up the background... I like it. Now I admit that I am in a very small minority. (which could mean I suffer from poor taste) But unless it is really distracting to me i tend to leave the background alone. And until you pointed out the yellow leaves I had not noticed them. (one of the reasons I quit driving is that I seem to have developed selective eye sight)

[pnodrog]

If you like the background as is and that is how you want to present it that is fine. However many others will notice any distracting highlights in the background of any image they view and will probably prefer that they are not there. Noticing all parts of a photograph (not just the key subject) is a skill that is a prerequisite to producing photographs that will be appreciated by a wider audience. I have seen many delightful family photographs of children that have backgrounds that make them totally unsuitable for exhibition but look great in an album.

Your temperature for growing gardenias is just a few degrees warmer than ours but I think my downfall is it is not watered with the love it needs during the last two very dry summers we have had and your photo certainly encourages me to be a better gardener next summer....

[JBW]

If you like the background as is and that is how you want to present it that is fine. However many others will notice any distracting highlights in the background of any image they view and will probably prefer that they are not there. Noticing all parts of a photograph (not just the key subject) is a skill that is a prerequisite to producing photographs that will be appreciated by a wider audience. I have seen many delightful family photographs of children that have backgrounds that make them totally unsuitable for exhibition but look great in an album.

Your temperature for growing gardenias is just a few degrees warmer than ours but I think my downfall is it is not watered with the love it needs during the last two very dry summers we have had and your photo certainly encourages me to be a better gardener next summer....

I have to admit that our rainy season was about 2 years long so yeah I think they do require a lot of water.

[JBW]

And i also find the yellow leaves in the background bring out the yellow near the center of the flower?

[Shadowman]

If you were to convert to black and white the yellow becomes less distracting. Just goes to show the power of color.

Brian, nice effort

[AB26]

Brian,

Not an easy shot to make. I have tried to get detail in that flower without much success.
You can tone down a little to get more detail in the white. The exposure is good and will give you lots to work with.

What is wrong with the BG? It is a flower growing on a bush! It is a pretty natural image showing exactly where that flower grows. I think you did pretty good with what you got to do it with. WELL DONE!

[JBW]

Brian,

Not an easy shot to make. I have tried to get detail in that flower without much success.
You can tone down a little to get more detail in the white. The exposure is good and will give you lots to work with.

What is wrong with the BG? It is a flower growing on a bush! It is a pretty natural image showing exactly where that flower grows. I think you did pretty good with what you got to do it with. WELL DONE!

You are obviously a man of excellent taste. I was able to take this shot in natural though not direct light. Aperture priority and i did darken it down while shooting. but I could have gone a little darker.

[wlou]

Well done Brian. If you do not like the background, you could do a little cleanup. Two ways to do that, prior to taking the picture if it is on your property, with proper tools cut off the leaf in the foreground that has a hole in it and the yellow one in the background upper right that is yellowed. After taking the picture, PP with your favourite Photoshop or whatever you use. I like the picture a lot, what is the name of the flower?

[JBW]

Well done Brian. If you do not like the background, you could do a little cleanup. Two ways to do that, prior to taking the picture if it is on your property, with proper tools cut off the leaf in the foreground that has a hole in it and the yellow one in the background upper right that is yellowed. After taking the picture, PP with your favourite Photoshop or whatever you use. I like the picture a lot, what is the name of the flower?

First things first it is a Gardenia. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardenia ) The scant is even nicer than the flower. Actually I do like the background but there is a running gag about my backgrounds being too busy or not cleaned up enough. Hmmm maybe I need new glasses?

[AB26]

First things first it is a Gardenia. The scant is even nicer than the flower.

You mean "the scent"

Brian it is not a matter of taste it is a matter of knowing what the bush looks like. I got one growing in front of my bedroom sliding door.

Depicting a flower in it's natural habitat looks much better to me.

When is a BG too busy? When is an object in an image "distracting"? Some of the most "famous" images from some of the most "famous Photographers" have "distractions" and "too busy" backgrounds in it.

[bnnrcn]

It is a beauty

[JBW]

You mean "the scent"

Brian it is not a matter of taste it is a matter of knowing what the bush looks like. I got one growing in front of my bedroom sliding door.

Depicting a flower in it's natural habitat looks much better to me.

When is a BG too busy? When is an object in an image "distracting"? Some of the most "famous" images from some of the most "famous Photographers" have "distractions" and "too busy" backgrounds in it.

I did indeed mean 'scent'. I agree. There are definitely two schools of thought on this thread. One that the primary object needs to stand alone. The other that context is crucial. Most of the time i fall into the second group.