Daisy in Bloom

[Paul Heester]

Bought this Osteospermum (had to look at label!) at the weekend and this was the second effort at getting something I liked. Trying to declutter the background can be tricky with macro. I used a sheer material I kept from a chocolate box as a prop and laid this behind the flower head. In Photoshop I used the B&W tool to boost the contrast and then applied a duotone effect. Feeling it still lacked something I applied a grungy-type border, set it to Overlay and reduced its opacity.

Daisy in bloom by Paul Heester, on Flickr

[davidc]

I think the effect is interesting and love the detail in the centre of the flower. The border I'm not so sure on - not saying I don't like it, I just haven't decided - but my biggest niggle is the colouring. As a "faded photo" effect it works well but I was wondering what it might look like with the flower keeping it's colour albeit muted and overlayed by the texture?

[Mike Farley]

I like the treatment you have given this shot, Paul. The toning and central highlight fading to the edges work well. Like davidc, I am not sure about the border and if it were mine I would most likely opt for a different, darker boder and not have the petals touching it on the right. I also find the out of focus petals at the front a tad distracting. Assuming that you did not blur them, I would adjust the depth of focus at the taking stage (using hyperfocal focussing if necessary) so that even if not entirely sharp, the petals are more distinct than currently.

[Paul Heester]

Thanks for the comments. In hindsight I think the border is too prominent. I did reduce the opacity of the border layer (to 38%) but maybe not enough.

As a "faded photo" effect it works well but I was wondering what it might look like with the flower keeping it's colour albeit muted and overlayed by the texture?

Here is the result! I actually choose the flower for its contrasty petals and colour was not relevant for me at the time.

IMG_1609colour.jpg (51.38 KiB) Viewed 4565 times

I also find the out of focus petals at the front a tad distracting. Assuming that you did not blur them, I would adjust the depth of focus at the taking stage (using hyperfocal focussing if necessary) so that even if not entirely sharp, the petals are more distinct than currently.

That was intentional as I wanted the central part to be the focus and I think the front petals being out of focus draws the eye inwards. But I may experiment with focus stacking in future to get front to back sharpness.

Thanks for the feedback

[davidc]

I think I do prefer the coloured one and, for me, the petal bokeh doesn't bother me at all. It's clear what the petals and, for me, where the focus of the eye should be.

[Mike Farley]

I also find the out of focus petals at the front a tad distracting. Assuming that you did not blur them, I would adjust the depth of focus at the taking stage (using hyperfocal focussing if necessary) so that even if not entirely sharp, the petals are more distinct than currently.

That was intentional as I wanted the central part to be the focus and I think the front petals being out of focus draws the eye inwards. But I may experiment with focus stacking in future to get front to back sharpness.

The colour shot also works and like davidc I find myself preferring it.

One of the reasons why I find the out of focus petals at the front distracting is their position within the image. The bottom right hand section is where the eye tends to end up, so it often needs a strong element there. I agree that having the petals out of focus there is one way of bringing the eye back to the centre of the flower, but in this instance I find the effect a bit overdone.

Of course, I am viewing both shots near to on the screen. As a print at a normal viewing distance, it might be less noticeable, although in a competition the judge will typically be examining it more closely than that. You might also get away with it when projected digitally as the resolution is lower. Once again the judge might still be closer than the audience, although some of them do stand at the back to get a better impression.