That's what I call colour!

[carregwen]

I couldn't get over the very striking appearance of this dahlia I saw the other day in a public garden I visited. The colour was just amazing. This is pretty much as it was in reality - I just tweaked the contrast. This one definitely wouldn't work in BW. I printed it to A4 today and it looks stunning.

see it on black

[Donald]

This one definitely wouldn't work in BW.

Okay, I'll concede that point. A beauty, Rob.

[Steve S]

Thats a beauty rob. Color, lighting, background, ....................awesome shot!!

[ScoutR]

Nice one Rob. Dahlias seem to be very photogenic, and there are so many varieties. I have not seen any like this though.

Which version of the Lumix do you have G1 or G2. I have a G1 on loan from a friend and I really like what it does with flowers. I might be buying it.

Wendy

[Yan Zhang]

Rob,

This is really nice shot. The background and the flower are perfectly matched, the flower itself is also in a perfect shape. Looks like it was taken in an overcast day.

[carregwen]

Looks like it was taken in an overcast day.

No, it was a very bright day, but the flowers were in the shade of a tall wall. Ideal conditions as far as the light was concerned.

[carregwen]

Which version of the Lumix do you have G1 or G2. I have a G1 on loan from a friend and I really like what it does with flowers. I might be buying it.

It's a G1. It is a brilliant little camera. The sensor is almost the size of a normal dslr such as D90 or 500D, but the crop factor is 2x not 1.6x. The DOF, especially on flower shots up close is excellent (although for this shot I used f5.6 to get the bokeh EXIF). It's a real beauty to use. I've had people stop me in the street to ask about it. I'd thoroughly recommend it, and I don't recommend things lightly.

[Klickit]

Stunning, Rob, both in form and colour. I'm really impressed with the results you are getting from this camera.

[carregwen]

Stunning, Rob, both in form and colour. I'm really impressed with the results you are getting from this camera.

Hi Kit

It's just my personal opinion, but I think Canon and Nikon should watch out. I paid £450 for this camera. The standard 14-45 lens is excellent, but if it had a very high quality version of that lens and the total package was, let's say, £1,000 I would still have bought one. Where does that leave the big two?

You can also fit Leica lenses to this camera with a £100 adaptor!

[Maritimer1]

Very delicate and bold (colour) at the same time. Looks like a painting!

Myra

[rick55]

That's a killer shot, Rob. The subtle tones are perfect, and the detail is wonderful.

This one definitely wouldn't work in BW.

It certainly doesn't compare as an image of the flower, but perhaps it's still an interesting image.

Cheers,
Rick

[carregwen]

That's a killer shot, Rob. The subtle tones are perfect, and the detail is wonderful.

It certainly doesn't compare as an image of the flower, but perhaps it's still an interesting image.

Cheers,
Rick

Hmmm... actually, that does look quite good. How did you edit it?

[Jim B.]

Rob,

Beautiful shot! Razor sharp and I love the colours.

[rick55]

Hmmm... actually, that does look quite good. How did you edit it?

I selected the background, and lowered the exposure to darken it. Then I merged the layers, so I could convert the whole thing together. It might have been interesting to convert the background and foreground separately. During B&W conversion, I chose a tint from the original image, then adjusted the blues for what I wanted in the petals, and boosted the red channel to give some emphasis in an aureole around the center. I probably overdid that a bit, as some of the stamen or pistel parts (I think that's what they are) seem to pop out too much.

The beautiful detail in the petals makes it worthwhile: it's very subtle, and the monochrome highlights it a bit.

Cheers,
Rick