Flag Iris for C&C

[JohnRostron]

Inspired by Izzie's Iris picture, I prepared this pic of a Flag Iris growing in my garden pond, taken a few days ago. The Flag Iris is a common wild flower in the UK. I can't remember how it got into my pond. It is certainly twenty-odd years ago.


I used Affinity Photo for my editing and I thought I would try using the Nik plugins. These are said to work with Affinity but there are also said to be problems. The workaround is that you need to create an Adjustment Layer first, then merge this with the top layer to a Pixel layer, and then use that as your base for Nik. It does seem to work in avoiding some of the known Nik problems.

I used the Nik raw pre-sharpener first for a light global sharpen, then Viveza for a few tweaks. I then resized to 800px wide and applied Nik's output sharpener, using a control point on the flower and adding structure.

I know this image has a leaf sticking up between the petals which might spoil the composition for some, but I tend to be more tolerant of such things.

Comment welcome.

John

[Wavelength]

Excellent...Rich Green and yellow really works here

[Shadowman]

Nicely done.

[Suzan J]

This is a lovely specimen of a beautiful flower. There are no raggedy edges or brown spots and it seems to be in pristine condition. The only thing I would suggest is that you shoot it again when the light is not so harsh. A somewhat cloudy day will eliminate the harsh shadows.

[rpcrowe]

This is a lovely specimen of a beautiful flower. There are no raggedy edges or brown spots and it seems to be in pristine condition. The only thing I would suggest is that you shoot it again when the light is not so harsh. A somewhat cloudy day will eliminate the harsh shadows.

OR... Shade the flower using some sort of contraption (the diffuser or the black scrim contained in a 5-in-1 reflector/diffuser set is ideal) and then pump in a bit of your own light (say with a flash or a reflector).

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...tor&_sacat=625

The larger units are more versatile but, the smallest unit would be easier to handle for a lone photographer...

I like to use a white balance target (WHIBAL - that Donald turned me onto several years ago) when shooting images in which it may be difficult to nail the exact color balance. I usually shoot the WHIBAL Card and then use the white balance eyedropper in Camera RAW. However, using a WHIBAL Card it is also easy - especially with Canon gear - to set up your custom color balance.

http://www.whibalhost.com/_pf_sitefi...rGuide_V10.pdf

I learned when shooting dogs with coat colors other than white, that I need a white balance reference since I cannot use skin tones or a dog's white coat as a baseline...

[JBW]

Inspired by Izzie's Iris picture, I prepared this pic of a Flag Iris growing in my garden pond, taken a few days ago. The Flag Iris is a common wild flower in the UK. I can't remember how it got into my pond. It is certainly twenty-odd years ago.


I used Affinity Photo for my editing and I thought I would try using the Nik plugins. These are said to work with Affinity but there are also said to be problems. The workaround is that you need to create an Adjustment Layer first, then merge this with the top layer to a Pixel layer, and then use that as your base for Nik. It does seem to work in avoiding some of the known Nik problems.

I used the Nik raw pre-sharpener first for a light global sharpen, then Viveza for a few tweaks. I then resized to 800px wide and applied Nik's output sharpener, using a control point on the flower and adding structure.

I know this image has a leaf sticking up between the petals which might spoil the composition for some, but I tend to be more tolerant of such things.

Comment welcome.

John

tolerance is a good thing. But why did you cut off the top of the leaf?

[JohnRostron]

tolerance is a good thing. But why did you cut off the top of the leaf?

Brian, I take it you are referring to the very apex of the broad leaf between the petals. That was just inaccuracy on my part when cropping. I have to admit that I had not noticed it until now!

John

[JohnRostron]

Thanks to all for your comments. Richard and Susan, the flowers are still out and in good condition, so I will go down and have another go.

John

[IzzieK]

I have a few yellow irises and it is the same breed as the one that I have in my other post, just that the colour is yellow. Your one here have larger rounded petals. You said 'in the pond' you mean this one grows on water? I only grow vegetables (lettuces normally) in water but not flowers...anyway, I like that leaf in the middle of your iris. The structure is really better. Does that leaf belongs to that iris? Just curious...

[Stagecoach]

It's a decent composition John and the lighting does not bother me too much.

What I do notice is that it looks over processed and with a lot of noise for something shot in that light.

[JohnRostron]

I have a few yellow irises and it is the same breed as the one that I have in my other post, just that the colour is yellow. Your one here have larger rounded petals. You said 'in the pond' you mean this one grows on water?

This Yellow Flag Iris is a different species to the usual garden Irises which are typically shades of blue. It does grow in water. The rhizomes are underwater, and the leaves and flowers emerge. Currently the plant is occupying around 75% of the pond and needs severely reducing!

And yes, the leaf was part of the same plant.

John

[JohnRostron]

It's a decent composition John and the lighting does not bother me too much.

What I do notice is that it looks over processed and with a lot of noise for something shot in that light.

I used the default sharpening in Nik with a little added structure to the flowers. I am currently processing some more shots taken out of the sun. I will look at those to see if they show noise.

John