Puff Daddy ( View Large )

I'm not much of a flower photographer, but I came across this huge

seed head ( about 4" - 5" ) on a recent trip to France. I got quite

close to it and took the shot hand held. Processed in lightroom,

sharpened in PS3 and added a bit of radial blur just as an

experiment really. Your thoughts and comments are much

appreciated. Thank You.

Nicely done Alf.  I like the effect you achieved here. This could be the cover of Modern Scientific Magazine Lovely details and nice colors. Great work - michel

7/7

I do like your final result of this image Alf, and of course the 'title'!!!  I know you don't do many flower (etc.) images, but you made this 'seed head' look rather impressive. Nice work Alf!

Perfect title.  I recall you said you'd found one of these "big weeds" recently and this is an excellent rendition...  Mike

This is wonderful, Alf - it's not so much a flower pic as a fascinating abstract.  Love it!  Regards, Margo.

This is also stunning, its as if it is encaptulated on a bubble of water. This is one of the best Dandelion shots i have seen, I mean that in all sincerity.

Regards Richard

Hi Alf. This one would have been a great one to have entered in the competition too! I'ts very eyecatching and I love the way you have presented it. It's not easy thinking of new ways to make plants and flowers more interesting and you have done a great job! Best wishes. Sarah.

Hi, Alf! I bet there are hundreds of these ones here on pn, but you found a DIFFERENT way to show it:almost like through some "magic" glass (we used to do that in my childhood: we would find some glass from a bottle, usually green or brown, and would look at the world through it, amazed how different it would become!). Thank you for that. It is a gift to be able to see regular, simple things in a different way! It is a talent to be able to show it to others. You have it all, Alf. Warm regards, Tamara

Lovely presentation, good work Alf!

Stunning!

it gives the impression of being much smaller than it was. best, j

A stunning example of photographic skill and ingenuity  . . .  I love the minute detail and vivid coloration.  The radial blur really helps to frame the image.

My best,

michael

A beautiful and stunning image , this must surely be a competition winner ! Bill

Alf,

  Amazing image with beautiful colors, lighting & the perfect title.  Take care, Patsy

I like a lot the light and color in this shot. Original way to look at it!

Regards, Tibi

MICHEL

I quite like the idea of it appearing on a front cover as described, fame at last : - ) The reality though is that I was just playing with the image, I used a higher than usual ISO (800) when taking the shot,  to ensure I achieved good sharpness hand held.  I than emphasised the sharpness and detail using "Unsharp Mask" in PS3 and then added a bit of radial blur.  Sincere Thanks for your thoughtful comments and feedback, much appreciated!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

YVES

Many Thanks for your interest and vote of confidence!

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

GAIL

 

Ahh the title "Puff Daddy"  I wondered if anyone else used that name as a child for these seed heads : - )  You are the expert in the creative department Gail, so if you are impressed maybe I should try it more often .......a few more rainy days and maybe I will : - )

Many Thanks Gail!

 

Alf

 

MIKE

Yes I spotted this one in France, though I still have no idea what flower it belongs to, and there didn't appear to be any giant Dandelions in the vicinity that would have been the obvious guess.

Sincere Thanks  & Best Regards

Alf

 

MARGO

 

Yeah, I would have to agree with your analogy, it does appear to be more of an abstract, and I'm very pleased you liked it! Thank you very much for your thoughtful comments!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

RICHARD

 

Thank You! I am really very flattered,  although I have to be honest and admit this is the result of nothing more than a dabbling on a wet day. I must also say I like the diversity of your new work, it pushes the boundaries in all kinds of ways!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

SARAH

 

I have to admit it never occurred to me to enter this one, but then I suppose there are so many Dandelion type images about I would have dismissed the idea.  You are quite right though, its very difficult to find something new and different......particularly with plants. A challenge that you are very familiar with, and one that you regularly succeed in overcoming.  Sincere thanks for your thoughts Sarah, very ,uch appreciated!

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

TAMARA

Your fascination with the world is still quite evident, though now seen through your camera viewfinder and your photographs, instead of coloured glass. Great the things we employed as kids as toys. A stick become a sword, a cardboard tube was both a trumpet and a telescope  (had to remember to wipe the end if someone had used it as a trumpet previously) even old tyres were utilised in our games..........ahhh well I diversify too much. Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments, very much appreciated!

 

Warm Regards

 

Alf

 

PANAYOTIS

 

Many Thanks for your interest and positive feedback!

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

TONY

Thank You!

 

 

JAMIE

 

Difficult to communicate scale in a shot like this, you now have me thinking what could have been used that wouldn't upset the balance and look out of place .........hmmmm

 

Cheers Jamie!

 

Alf

 

MICHAEL

I'm very flattered, especially coming from someone with such creational flair as yourself.

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

 

 

BILL

 

I'm beginning to think I entered the wrong image : - )  Having said that, the tinted version of "Meadow Orchid" was placed 11th, but who knows, judges and us photographers can be very fickle. Many Thanks for your thoughtful feedback Bill, much appreciated!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

PATSY

 

"Puff Daddy" .......I have to admit I love that title myself : - ) As it was the name we used as kids to identify these plants, or at least thier smaller counterparts.  Many Thanks for your positive feedback Patsy!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

TIBI

Originality is a rare commodity these days, so I am very flattered by your comments!

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards

 

Alf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i didn't mean to suggest that. perfect as it is. best, j

No worries my friend, it gave me somethng to think about : - )

Regards

Alf

Hi Alf, The focus and effect here is wonderful. It almost looks like something out a fantasy painting or from another world. Great post processing work here Alf.

Joe

PS Thanks for the input on my landscape, it was very helpful buddy!

Very creative.  Nice composition.  Congrats.  Best Regards,

Many Thanks for your invaluable imput, much appreciated!  I didn't do anything very clever with the processing. The image was taken in bright sunshine, and the shutter speed was very fast ( 1/8000 sec ) all I did was to darken it, and use contrast and extreme sharpness (Unsharp Mask) adjustments, then a touch of selected radial blur.

Best Regards

Alf

WANGHAN

It probably looks more creative than it actually is, but ist always good to get your thoughts and impressions. Many Thanks!

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

ALf, the blur effect certainly gives this a sense of movement which I quite like. The nice range of tones might also make this look really lovely in black and white. 

Many Thanks for your thoughts and kind words, much appreciated.  I usually consider most images for B & W potential, but for some reason I didnt with this one, well not unti you just mentioned it. I might just give that a try, thank you for the suggestion!

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

Amazing shot, indeed! Clarity and details are breath-taking. Nice job here is the end result on green color, one the most difficult colors to be set correctly in close ups. Point of focus is also spot on, along with light control. At first glance, round shape of the flower might tempted me to use radial blur as final touch, but i think a lens blur might be better i nature photography.

Congrats for this beautiful shot.

Hamid.