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People's Choice in Full Bloom Photo Challenge
People's Choice in Macro Flowers Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
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Magnificent Capture
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Elyzabeth
June 22, 2013
How absolutely beautiful! I can almost smell it. The colors are exceptionally pleasing. Love this.
MOLLYSP
July 15, 2013
This is one of the most beautiful peony photos I have ever seen. Good luck on the contest.
Hood
June 29, 2015
Wow! Absolutely fantastic macro - thanks for the inspiration - I have a long way to go......!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I discovered this beauty in my neighbor's garden.Time
It was about 11:00 a.m.Lighting
The day was sunny and bright, perfect for my goal of brilliant color.Equipment
That day I was shooting with my Nikon D5100 with a 28-105 zoom---settings 1/500 at f/8 and ISO 100. Since I was out on a casual stroll that was all I carried.Inspiration
June is prime time for flowers and wildflowers here in the mountains where I live, thus the height of my focus. Of all the flowers in his garden, this one seemed to call to me. Its colors, shape, form, textures, and pattern all came together as did none of the others.Editing
The exposure, for me, was "perfect". I cropped for balance and added a very slight vignette for emphasis.In my camera bag
Basically, I carry two Nikon cameras and three lenses, backup batteries, remote shutter releases, cleaning material.Feedback
As with any subject, character changes with time of day and weather conditions. In the case of flowers these changes acutely affect the "portrait" more so. The mid-day sun is the brightest and a cooler color temperature than the low sun of morning and afternoon. Depending style, if you want the most brilliant color, the high sun is where it's at. Think about a flower as you would a person's portrait: full length, head and shoulders, or macro (as an abstract). Isolate the flower from distracting backgrounds. Evaluate what you want to say about your subject based on: color, shape, form, textures and pattern. Change in perspective changes character. Stay away from groups of flowers unless you can form a pattern or repetition that pulls them all together.