Water Lilies...

[fisherchick]

I took some pics on the 4th of some of my favorite looking water dwellers...AND touched them up using PSE. It is REALLY hard to "doctor" photos "like a pro" you guys are EXTREMELY talented!! Please let me know what you think for I am trying to develop my EYE for color and enhancements on photos...

Thanks in advance everyone! Also, is it my screen or do these look "grainy" to everyone?? I have a bunch more, but am still deciding which are headed to the recycle bin and which are not...

[Dbl]

These look pretty good! I will offer a few comments on each since you asked.

1. It looks like it is a bit over saturated to me. I am not really seeing any noise. I might be tempted to play around a bit more with the cropping on this one. Maybe just above the big Lilly pad and eliminate the small part of the one on the bottom.

2. I like this shot though it appears a bit soft. You have lost some of the details in the whites which I think would give you a bit of pop in the flower.

3. I am not sure I like that half Lilly pad. Again the flower is a bit soft and lacking some detail.

All in all a really good effort. The only way to improve is to keep at it and play with different settings and post processing routines. It is a constantly evolving process!

[Birdsong]

I don't see any grain, and I love the second. I hope mine will bloom so I can give this a try.

[fisherchick]

Dan, Thank you very much for your insight! I wasn't sure how MUCH detail to bring out in the flower....I totally agree with your comments.

It REALLY is hard to determine; with the endless options, what looks right and "not so right" to the eye's perspective. I admire everyone's work (EVEN MORE THAN EVER) after "playing" with these photos! I will see what I can accomplish after your advice.

Sara, Thank you for the compliment on the second! I will see if I can utilize Dan's advice and make it even better!

Thank you!

FC

[Steve Foss]

Nice, FC!

I'm with Dan on No. 1. Images like this, to me, cry out for simplicity of composition. So that's what my eye is drawn to. I'd have tried to compose so the only elements other than the water were the large pad and the lily, with no other elements to distract my eye. Again, that's just my preference, and as an artist you have to first please yourself, not others.

I very much like No. 2. Again, the simplicity.

No. 3 works well for me compositionally, though in all three cases the bright harsh sun is turning the blossoms blazing white and causing reflection off the leathery pad surfaces.

For light that bright, you can use exposure compensation to underexpose a bit, which will help keep detail in the bright highlights. For the reflection off the pads, if you don't have a polarizer (the polarizer also will help on the white blossom), you can try to change your angle a bit, experimenting in the search for an angle that's pleasing to your own eye and that doesn't deliver too much reflection.

I rarely ever use a polarizer anymore because of the drawbacks that go with the benefits, and because most of the benefits can be achieved now in Photoshop. Instead I usually use a disc of diffusion fabric combined with exposure compensation or manual exposure settings to get the effect I want. The diffuser will turn bright sun into that wonderful diffuse vibrance that mimics light overcast skies. I think you'll be seeing the effects of that first-hand one of these days.

Sure do love those water lilies.

[fisherchick]

#2....Is this what you guys are talking about, Dan and Steve?? I hope I am on the right track!!

Steve, I sure hope first hand sooner than later! I will keep you posted! I close on the 23rd...

[mmeyer]

I agree with the experts on the first set. Nice work and with a few little changes it will be great.

The last one you posted looks pretty good. Much more detail in the whites.

[Birdsong]

Very pretty!

[Yellowhead]

I attended a seminar last year and one of the presenter was a flower photographer. She said the most important thing to remember was don't shoot in direct sun light, if there wasn't natural shade improvise to make your own.

[Steve Foss]

I attended a seminar last year and one of the presenter was a flower photographer. She said the most important thing to remember was don't shoot in direct sun light, if there wasn't natural shade improvise to make your own.

Excellent general rule of thumb. Sometimes breaking the rules works, too.

Rather than manufacturing full shade on the flower on a sunny day, I prefer to put full shade on the background and use a diffusion disc on the blossom. That way there's a wonderful luminosity to the flower and no distracting hotspots on the BG.

fisherchick, I like that last one a lot. Really pretty gentle side lighting going on there.

[Yellowhead]

I also use a diffusion disk quite a bit and sometimes I use a gold reflector disk to warm things up a little. There are so many tricks you pick up over time but in the end it all come down light and composition.