Wild Sweet Pea

I love this photo, Len! I find it truly original: the treatment of the background is something I've never seen and it's visually very attractive. I also like the composition: all the elements, instead of creating mess (a messy background is very likely when photographing flowers) create a visual harmony. Last but not least, the beautiful colours of the flowers! All the best!

Good to hear from you again.  Velvia is not my usual film but the colours are gorgeous.  This subject was found on the side of the road near my home.  Inspired by others on PN who have successfully used this technique I wanted to see what results I could get with my 50mm f1.4 fully open.  I didn't use a tripod since the shutter speed varied from 1\1000 to 1\250 (no danger of camera movement) but in not doing so I may have lost some control over critical focus, and to a lesser degree, some compositional control.  This one has been cropped in Photoshop (use of a tripod may have negated that need) and sharpened after resizing for web use.  (I always do this in any case)  Best, LM.

the hallmark of this image are the colors,it is so intense and saturated to a degree that one might say it is artificial,but I would not say that ,I have one gerbera flowers in my garden ,with a close color,I always call it the industrial florescent color.

by the way,it is somewhat difficult to reproduce faithfully in the digital sensor.

The intense colours are courtesy of Mother Nature and Fuji Velvia.  This was my favourite from the roll I exposed recently.  About par for the course, I'd say.  I think the Gerbera of which you speak is commonly referred to here as an Aster and are very colourful too.  Best, LM.

Hi Len

Usually I look forward to see from you a B&W photo, but now it is a coloured one.

So let me say, Nice, Inspiring and Subtle colours. For me I just want to catch the flowers of this sweet Pea. Best regards

I was recently given a roll of Velvia by a friend who had gone all digital.  This was my favourite from the roll.   My initial attempts at B&W conversion were unsatisfactory.  I simply love the deep rich colours here.  Best, LM.

My two favourite colors...  Beautiful ! Great display of shallow DOF, a lovely dreamy effect....  thank you Len for your comment and tip on my camera clock :)...    Kind Regards Andrea

Yah, the two dominant colors nearly always work well together.  As for the clock on your camera: Well, picky, picky.  But if does prove that some actually read what you put in the 'Details'. That was a test, right?  :-)  Best, LM.

very beautiful...congrats

Thanks for taking the time.  Best, LM.

it is not an aster ,I speak of gerbera ,or if you wish the African daisy.

I will try to capture one image of it once it got a bloom.

A quick search proves you correct. (something I should have done more deeply  in the first place since I'm no botanist)  Looking forward to your samples.  Best, LM.

I'm not a botanist  either... but I'm a photographer, and when I see a good photo,I see a good photo..!

Beautiful diagonal placement on the frame, very nice BG,light and sharpnes, dazzling color palette. Well, two nice creators: Nature and Len;-))

Thanks for your kind thoughts.  I was most pleased with the saturation level of the colours here though I usually prefer a more modest and neutral rendition.  I love what others have done with Velvia but my own experience with it has been mostly disappointing.  I find it difficult to scan as I do with any highly saturated film even including Portra VC (160 or 400) or Reala.  However, free film is free film and under that circumstance I'm always up for the challenge.  Best, LM.

Len, admirable composition and the color-saturation. I must admit my first choice was Fuji Velvia 50, before the advent of Digital camera. I have an image of gerbera, shot by me.Here it is for you.

Thanks for your input.  Your sample is truly gorgeous and I wouldn't have doubted you for a minute had you said it was taken with Velvia.  That it was taken on a digital camera speaks volumes for the rich colours of the bloom itself and perhaps more, to your expertise in post exposure manipulation.  I don't know why anyone would want it more saturated than this.  Perfect as is!  All this talk of Gerbera has certainly been an education for me and hopefully for others as well.  Part of the win-win aspect of participation on Photo.net.  Now to find another roll of Velvia. :-)  Best, LM.

The heart & soul of this image is undoubtedly the rich & vibrant colours. There is something about this emulsion that really makes it different from digital. The slight under exposed & out of focus background has also accentuated the pink flowers in the foreground. All in all a very nice snap....more so when it is shot with the legendary Fuji velvia :-)

Sincere regards.

Good to have your take on this one.  Though the colours are undeniably the strong point of Velvia I personally find it one of the hardest films to scan.  I've also had trouble obtaining a good scan from any high saturation film, chrome or neg.  Could be just my workflow technique or my preference for more neutral images.  I'm always envious when I see a gorgeous Velvia post with clarity and colours to die for.  Best, LM.

Your constructive comments\critiques will be gratefully received.

Best, LM.

Len, This is gorgeous! 

My 2 film cameras are at the "doctors" because of film transport jamming issues which were not issues until I had them CLA'd!.   When I get them back I'll have to try out the film you used.

len, wonderful color combination, really like focal point against dreamy b/g. image also suits sq format rather nicely. lovely work!

I hope you are using a different 'doctor'. :-(  Else who knows what new problems they'll come back with.  Velvia is a superb contrasty & highly saturated film but it's not for everyone.  My own experience with it has been somewhat disappointing, with a few exceptions of course.  It seems to shine with flatly lit, low contrast subjects.  But the colours are unbeatable.  I prefer a more neutral & less saturated film most times with the photoshop options left open to me should I decide they are needed.  Thanks for your comment.  Looking forward to your results from your film cameras.  Best, LM.

Just experimenting with my 50mm f1.4 @ f1.4.  What's the point of having a fast lens if, once in a while, you can't take advantage of it's shallow DOF for artistic purposes?  The square format was dictated by the subject, a philosophy I firmly believe in.  Thanks for your visit.  Best, LM.