Exploring Colour

[Kaye Leggett]

I have some tulips in the house and yesterday the sun was shining in on them so I grabbed a few shots. It was the colours that caught my eye. In taking these I tried to apply some of the lessons learnt whilst taking shots of daffodils earlier this month

The tulips are red and violet in the same vase and they seemed to be reflecting each other. C&C welcome as I try to improve my techniques further - they'll last a couple of days yet for another attempt (or two)

1



2



3

[Geoff F]

Firstly, Kaye, let me say that I know from personal experience how difficult this sort of scene is to photograph.

I would suggest that you need to try for an increased depth of focus on the intended central subject, probably with a merge of different focus points shot on a tripod so all of your main subject is in focus.

Combining out of focus areas into the main subject area looks like a promising idea but it will be so difficult to get everything merging together well. Possibly this will mean more shots going into the final merge after careful positing of each bloom.

I think this idea has great potential if you can get everything to combine nicely together; but I suspect this will require quite a bit of experimentation and a lot of rejects as you strive for perfection.

[Shadowman]

Nice concept, was the day overcast when photographing these images? I would except more vibrancy highlights if the light was sunny.

[Rebel]

I think they work quite well as sort of abstract pieces, I really like the composition in #2.

[just me]

I liked the second image.....

[IzzieK]

I was thinking the same as Matt here the first time I saw #1 -- it is an abstract. I too like the sun shining on the petals of flowers. But one time I did that, I was criticized and I wondered why. There must be a rule about that photographically but I still do not know ... yet.

[FootLoose]

I like the first two shots, Kaye. The soft detail forces attention on the colours. If it were mine I would try shooting with the lens completely out of focus, just to capture the dreamy colours.

[Barbara Ponder]

I like them as artistic shots, they almost look like watercolor paintings.

[Kaye Leggett]

Thanks all for your thoughts.

Geoff I hope to be able to try again.....and yes realise most will go in the bin ! John, the day was sunny spells so the light wasn't too harsh. Greg, I tried the oof shot but somehow it was too oof - maybe there is a balance somewhere ? Izzie, I think there are many rules about photography we don't know yet - one of them must be to forget the rules though !

[deetheturk]

Very nice Kaye

[wtlwdwgn]

Good eye Kaye. I think the pastel colors you captured are just right. More direct light would likely have been too harsh. As far as the DOF is concerned you can always play around with different f stops and see what happens. I like these.

[Kaye Leggett]

Thanks Steve and Dave. I hope to play with DOF tomorrow if the flowers last that long

[dasmith232]

Very pretty images!

The comments about DOF are interesting. Especially to Izzie, I'd say don't read too much into some comments. If I like deep focus and that's my style, then my intent in capturing an image will be different than the next person. If someone critiqued an image that said "it needs to be deeper", well that would be their intent and interpretation.

To Kaye, I like what you've done with the depth of field. Generally, I approach it as "what's in focus is part of the visual story" and "what's not in focus isn't". Here because the petals are part-in and part-out, it tells me that the *color* of the petals are the story, not the physical form of each petal.

I like it. I think it works very nicely.

[JBW]

this seems an excellent opportunity to develop skills with the camera and with pp?

[IzzieK]

Thanks Dave...my photographic skin has started to thicken staying here in CiC. It is much needed when one wanted to improve in my adventure. In my quest and hunger to learn, I have learned to take in by the chin especially this year with Project 52. I have also learned not only to improve my PP by uploading corrections instead of just doing it and not showing the "after" improvement. Therefore, I get to learn to smoothen some more of my shots. And I hide my failed frustrations with making a comedy out of my images in sequence. I like a laugh here and there...sometimes too much that I enjoy each journey...

I just mentioned my feelings but there is no underlying motives in it really, just a comment. Thank you so much for being kind. You have a gentler soul than I do.

Very pretty images!

The comments about DOF are interesting. Especially to Izzie, I'd say don't read too much into some comments. If I like deep focus and that's my style, then my intent in capturing an image will be different than the next person. If someone critiqued an image that said "it needs to be deeper", well that would be their intent and interpretation.

To Kaye, I like what you've done with the depth of field. Generally, I approach it as "what's in focus is part of the visual story" and "what's not in focus isn't". Here because the petals are part-in and part-out, it tells me that the *color* of the petals are the story, not the physical form of each petal.

I like it. I think it works very nicely.

[chauncey]

Kaye...attempting to bridge that fuzzy line twixt photography and art is indeed difficult.

Anyone that is adept at photo-stacking can cough out a subject that is entirely in focus...
is the image better that way...that is an unanswerable question.

But, I am liking these images...when it clicks in your mind the satisfaction will be an ego boost.

[JohnRostron]

I particularly like #3 where the inner petals cast shadows on the outer ones and brings out the textures in those outer petals.

John

[Krawuntzel]

Hello Kaye
I am a little bit late on your tulips, which may have gone , but I take your title to the letter: exploring colours.
If I had this "project" - and tulips are a good start, I think - I would concentrate first on 2 (two) colours and minding depth of field. If I did get your intention, you do not want to picture tulips, but are fascinated by their colours - interacting.
I would try to have in #1 only purple-mauve and red (no green), in #2 only red and green, in #3 only purple-mauve.
Just my thoughts
Erwin