Gumamela (Hibiscus) shot for C&C...

[IzzieK]

I usually do not like to shoot flowers but hubby went outside to pick up the mail and saw this one from our front garden and so he wanted me to take a shot for him...so I did and want to share this with you. For a start, this ones are his babies, planted them way before we met really and has been nurturing them each year. Each flowers in his batch are bigger than my hands by two inches or so, some bigger...maybe the size of his hand but not mine...



I think these twins are cute really...thanks in advance for any critiques ... and of course, comments...

[KimC]

What beautiful flowers Izzie; such wonderful texture.

It does look like you have some blown areas in the image - top left - white spot, and then you also have some white circles particularly on the right flower which seem odd (could that be PP related?) Was also wondering why you shot this at such a high ISO (3200) and Shutter Speed (800)?

Since the flowers are so beautiful, next time I would try a bigger Aperture (shot at F9) so the background blurs out and all the focus is on the flowers.

[Shadowman]

Nice effort, reds are so difficult to render correctly; except in shade.

[deetheturk]

Very nice Izzie, plenty of detail in the flowers, well done pal

[marlunn]

wot Kim said

really nice texture there and the colour is fab. if you can get an angle without the sky? (blown) areas so its mottled green all around and as said a shallow Dof to blur the background - I suspect it would be more stunning

[xpatUSA]

Wot Mark said

Those light areas on the petals have well-blown reds allowing the greens and blues, which are not blown, to cause a lighter appearance in those areas. A bit of highlight compression adjustment in RawTherapee helped a bit but, IMNSHO, less exposure would have been a bit mo' better


.

[IzzieK]

Thank you all for the CC --

Kim...you are slowly getting out of your shell. I like the criticism, gentle correction...I can feel your personality better than before...

David -- sorry no bugs in it for you, but thanks anyway...you're tops as always!

John (Shadowman) I agree...I once changed a maroon Corvette to orange and no one like it either but I thought it was great...just that everyone knew it wasn't orange in colour, especially of course the owner...

Mark that actually wasn't the sky but my front door -- the morning sun was shining on it, silly thing and I burned it out a little bit and it turned grey so I select the flower and blur the whole background...if I go overboard, the whole background will be too blurred so I left it at just a tad blur...

Ted..thank you...there were two spots on the right flower where the sun shown through the leaves and I didn't know what to do with it because I like the two flowers together slightly angled to one another. I did try to darken those two area with Viveza 2 but I guess it wasn't enough. I just didn't want to overdo it...so I thought it was OK...

Thank you all for your comments and feedback...Truly, truly appreciate them...

I guess I should not have waited until the mail lady came. I should had waken up early for the shoot but that flower is hidden behind the wall of where I was sitting in my dining room when Bill called me. It was a hard shoot, but I have others like this one below...



........Sorry I can't do a reshoot as that flower would have been gone yesterday...hope this one is acceptable...

[Ziggy]

Very nice Izzie. That is a bloom that is fun to shoot. Try a side shoot are maybe from the bottom looking up.

[Stagecoach]

hope this one is acceptable...

Izzie, this last one is by far your best flower to date and of a quality that others should be aspiring to achieve

[IzzieK]

Very nice Izzie. That is a bloom that is fun to shoot. Try a side shoot are maybe from the bottom looking up.

When I find another one. Ziggy...I will try my best...thank you for commenting and the advice. I appreciate it very much.

[IzzieK]

Izzie, this last one is by far your best flower to date and of a quality that others should be aspiring to achieve

Thanks Grahame...your statement is flattering for someone who is not really a flower shooter. Everytime I see some flowers in my backyard each day, I'd been dying to photograph them but change my mind about getting my camera when I have already sat down...I will try another flower shot one more time...

Again, I appreciate your comments...

[Mike Buckley]

Great texture and definition in both photos without losing the soft characteristic of the flowers.

[bnnrcn]

+1 to Mike IMO if you clone the blown out whites in the BG of #1 and make them green, it is all done

[IzzieK]

Thank you Mike and Binnur for passing by. I appreciate both your comments. Binnur, I thought about that one too but after I had already uploaded the darn shot so I left it as it was...

Thank you Mike for your kind comment...'appreciate it.

[JBW]

Thank you all for the CC --

Kim...you are slowly getting out of your shell. I like the criticism, gentle correction...I can feel your personality better than before...

David -- sorry no bugs in it for you, but thanks anyway...you're tops as always!

John (Shadowman) I agree...I once changed a maroon Corvette to orange and no one like it either but I thought it was great...just that everyone knew it wasn't orange in colour, especially of course the owner...

Mark that actually wasn't the sky but my front door -- the morning sun was shining on it, silly thing and I burned it out a little bit and it turned grey so I select the flower and blur the whole background...if I go overboard, the whole background will be too blurred so I left it at just a tad blur...

Ted..thank you...there were two spots on the right flower where the sun shown through the leaves and I didn't know what to do with it because I like the two flowers together slightly angled to one another. I did try to darken those two area with Viveza 2 but I guess it wasn't enough. I just didn't want to overdo it...so I thought it was OK...

Thank you all for your comments and feedback...Truly, truly appreciate them...

I guess I should not have waited until the mail lady came. I should had waken up early for the shoot but that flower is hidden behind the wall of where I was sitting in my dining room when Bill called me. It was a hard shoot, but I have others like this one below...



........Sorry I can't do a reshoot as that flower would have been gone yesterday...hope this one is acceptable...

More much more than acceptable. Better background, better composition, better colours. Very nice.

[IzzieK]

Thanks Brian...'appreciate your comments.

[FootLoose]

I like the 2nd shot, Izzie. Then again, I didn't see anything wrong with the first one.

[IzzieK]

I like the 2nd shot, Izzie. Then again, I didn't see anything wrong with the first one.

Thanks Greg...appreciate your putting up with me from time to time...

[Brownbear]

Beautiful captures! So sharp with wonderful colour and exquisite detail, yet soft and natural.

My fave is #2 for the lovely background but there is an odd spot on the lower portion, just below the flower about a 1/3 of the way in...

[IzzieK]

Thanks Christina....how is work? You finally got out for a while to comment. I appreciate it very much.