Freesia Flower

I think this looks best in LARGER view. I tried to position this bloom

so that the petals nearest the lens, which I knew I could not have as

sharp as I would have liked, were unobtrusive. What do you think of my

results? Suggestions, comments, and ratings are welcome.

The light shining through the petals is excellent and the colours are beautiful. Some of the petals being out of focus is not that important to me though I would prefer sharpness throughout. The other option is to go the other way and make the dof smaller. The railings are a bit visible for my taste and I would probably try doing something there. But overall the light makes this a very good shot for me.

The DOF is very good. I think you cold have deleted the gate..the little vertical lines in the background. (sorry for I do not know the english term)

I especially like the transpearancy of the petals in this wanderfull light. And also how lights and shadows are playing on the green part.

I think the frame/border you put does not help the picture, it only darkens it and distract some people as it's a little to complex and dark colors.

I think a shallower DOF would be a matter of preference. I think the background is blown out enough. The attention immediately comes to the flower and stays there. Very delicate. Oh, and thanks for your technical details Walter

I personally would have gone for even less and blurred the background even more. But that is my own personal preference.

I thought from the thumbnail the background was really going to prove distracting, but upon larger viewing, it's not. It actually makes this a little more unusual for a flower shot. I like the lighting, too. Not too soft for me.

I think the DOF is perfect for the composition. A completly blured background for this bloom at this angle I do not think would have worked very well. For me the little picked fence and what seems to be a reflection of it gives this flower a home a place in space, the lighting is also very nice. (Oh yes I think it must be viewed large)

Walt, you just always seem to be at the right place at the right time. This I really like, and I even like the fence. Apart from the colors, what I like the most is the way it rises from the right, arcs over and descends to the left.

 

I saw daffodils blooming beside our road this past week. Time to get outside. Winter never quite got here this year.

I always shoot images like this at a variety of f-stops nowadays Walt. And the truth is there is no one single winning formula all of the time. However, in a case like this, I would probably prefer less than f/11. Perhaps f/5.6 up to 8. I would want just enough distance for a sharp flower, and that is it. The fence post in the background while somewhat interesting, does not help the image in my opinion from an aesthetic point of view.

 

I just recently looked at a series of slides of a rose in full bloom in the pouring rain from Shenandoah National Park. I shot just over two full rolls, with three different lenses, at a variety of apertures. The ones stopped down the furthest did not do the beautiful flower the most justice. It brought the background elements more into focus, but that took away from the true subject.... (somewhat similar to this one actually). Others with minimal depth where even some of the outer petals were slightly soft were quite powereful, but still cutting out important elements in my mind and limiting the scene just a bit too much. The ones that could deliver all of the flower tack sharp, but then stop there, while maintaining extreme sharpness were truly the most appealing.

 

While I think this is a nice catch even as it is, the distracting background prevents this from reaching further than it could. At least in my minds eye. 5.5/5.5...or guess I'll round up!

Walter, I love the backlighting on the petals and the way the buds trail off across the photo. Beautiful as always. Cheers, Sondra

Divina, un poema hermoso de la naturaleza que nos brindas. Gracias por compartirla, Walter, te quedo muy bien!

hi walter, you are right, more interesting in larger, which leads me to suggest a slightly tighter crop. i'd also brighten the green [stems?] after the first two (going from right to left) and saturate/brighten the purple a little. in larger, the flow of the flower and green plant are interesting, the detail terrific and the light through the petals very very pleasing. not crazy about the background, but you take what you get on these kinds of shots and the blur is excellent.

Beautiful light on my favorite flower. I recently smelled some in a store and they had fragrance! In recent years they seemed to have lost it...a memory of childhood.

 

I would suggest a small crop from the bottom.

Composition and light are really good. The blurred background is a plus.

I agree with Amelie about the crop. Otherwise, I like it as is.

The way the main petal captures the light in that translucent manner certainly attracts attention to itself. From their I enjoyed wandering down the green steps of light and the overall ambience. The background is in fact quite interesting but certainly not intrusive until you mentioned it. Nor did I notice the petal pointing towards the viewer as out of focus. Clearly a craftsman of an art.