Tiny Trumpet Guide Wires

Hi David,

Coming from a northern latitude devoid of such tropical splendours, I cannot help but think of the warmth of the Caribbean when I see Bougainvillea blossoms. More than any other flower they remind me of bright sunny days by the sea.

 You use a narrow dof to your advantage here giving a gentle yet firm separation between the forward bloom and that lovely oof background. In my opinion the point of focus becomes crucial when dealing with such a narrow dof. In this instance I like that your choice of focus has rendered  sharp the  pointed tips of the colourful floral bracts as well as the also pointed leaf in the bottom right hand corner. The frame has a nice overall balanced feel to it. I think it would have strengthened the image if you could have had more of the forward leaning bract a touch sharper. To achieve such a thing would require either stopping down more or changing focus to a closer point or bracketing focus and blending frames in PS.  Stopping down would negatively impact the bokeh imo and changing focus would alter that lovely separation. Something I often do is shoot multiple frame with different points of focus and blend later. There are many software apps out there which will blend frames automatically for you, however I do the blending manually as I find the automated methods less precise. Two frames, a black mask and a soft brush can easily paint in a bit more deatail in selected spots when wanted.

A very nice image David, one which has warmed me up on this very cold and wet early June Sunday. So nice to see you posting. I do not get around to visiting PN as often as in days gone by but I do poke my head in the door once in awhile so I will look forward to see more of your photos. 

Cheers

Gord

Hey Gord,

Thanks for stopping by... you know the door is always open for you! And thanks for the very thorough review. Your way of describing what you see as your eyes travel around the image nearly always either helps me see something I hadn't appreciated (or overlooked!) and/or have words to put to aspects I couldn't describe so accurately and economically. Very glad you like the image, and thanks for teaching me the botanical name. I've always loved these little guys, but never found out what to call them!

See ya next time you poke your nose in the door!

David

I like this very much how ever the composition is slightly of balance. You have to include  more of the flower bottom part more. The washed of background is very nice. I don't read other peoplers comment, so, I don't know  what els I can suggest to improve the image.

Good suggestion. I'll have a look at the original and see how much more of the flower bottom is there... can't remember how I cropped it. If there's enough, I'll work with it and post the new edition.

Thanks, Bela!