flowers & plants Two Orchids (View Larger)

Once a year, I am treated to the blooming of these orchids in my back

yard. I used Gaussian Blur to selectively place emphasis of different

aspects of this photograph.

Hi Leo -

I kept coming back to this image, attracted by the beautiful colors of the flowers and the soft, gentle feel. The purple and yellow of the lower petels is remarkable. I can well understand why you would love this orchid and look forward to its yearly bloom.

I am no expert with Photoshop and continue struggling with varoius aspects of the software, so please take this with a grain of salt. However, I wonder if there is a way to eliminate the halo effect where you applied the blur. I like the idea of the soft off focus edges to the flower, but the halo is somewhat distracting. Otherwise, this is a truly beautiful image. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Irene

leo,  i share the same thoughts as irene on the halo,  especially right side flower.  other then that wee nit, the softness and colors here are just grand,  also like the simple composition.  lovely work!

Part of using the Gaussian Blur to this extreme is the glow that you have both pointed out. Even with a selection, there is some "overflow" from the flowers. That being said, I could have controlled it a bit more, but at the time I thought it was adding to the effect I was looking for. In retrospect, I also see where it could be tamed down a bit. Thank you both for your honest and informative observations, I do appreciate it.