Paper

[alfredo]

Canon S50 Original was Raw image. Tweaked in Photoshop.
Someday I will get it where I like it.

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Are these some kind of poppies?

[alfredo]

4. yeah, they do look like them

[intheflow]

9. I think they're called hollyhocks.

Here's my rendition of a hollyhock, and I think they look like the same flower, though maybe not the exact same variety:



"My" hollyhocks had big onion-shaped buds on them like alfredo's, and the leaves look the same, though you can't tell from my photo here.

[Blue_In_AK]

10. My grandma used to have hollyhocks

but what threw me in Alfredo's shot was that they looked kind of "double". Hers looked more like yours.

[intheflow]

11. There are varieties of hollyhocks called Double Hollyhocks.

http://springhillnursery.com/product.asp?pn=68868

I think alfredo shot a double hollyhock. I think they look like carnations, personally.

[Blue_In_AK]

13. They DO look like carnations.

I used to take those little hollyhock flowers and tie a string around the base to make a "head" and then the petals were the skirt. My cousins and I used to play with them like they were dolls.

[alfredo]

12. I really like how you composed the image.

[intheflow]

22. Thanks.

I love shooting flowers against dark or semi-dark backgrounds:


I think that comes into play with the hollyhock shot, but I also like the juxtaposition between the natural flower form and the man-made trellis form.

[alfredo]

26. Sometimes i remove the backgroud all together.

I like that image too.

The background doesn't detract.

[Ms. Toad]

14. Yes, hollyhocks.

And if you're feeling childlike you can make hollyhock dolls out of them: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/maasx003/garden/024283.html (a favorite pastime when I was growing up).

[bvar22]

15. Coincidence?

I was out snapping pics with a friend yesterday, and took this one.

She informed me that this was a "Hollyhock", and then told me how she used to make little dolls with them when she was a child. She "pantomimed" the process without actually picking the flower.

[intheflow]

23. More coincidence?

Blue said she used to do the same thing when she was a kid. I never heard of that game before.

[bvar22]

28. A "Cosmic Vortex" is forming.....

....and it has something to do with HollyHocks and dolls!

See you on the other side of the HollyHocks!

[insane_cratic_gal]

2. It does have a tissue paper feel to it

very delicate leathery feel..


Would you mind if I played with it in photoshop?

[alfredo]

3. Go for it.

[insane_cratic_gal]

5. Your original first

Might of gone a little over on the contrast, but I did series of things: isolated the pink from the background to boost it up a little. Sharpened it, cropped it a little to give it a tighter look. Boosted a little bit of the green.

I just tried to pop it a little while still trying to retain that paper feel.

[alfredo]

6. Very nice, it jumps right out of the image, grabs the eye.

I can see that contrast and manipulating the color balance needs to be done with my image. You brought out the details of the petals, made the texture more 3 dimensional.

I wasn't sure which direction i want to go with the image. By lowering the contrast I was going with a softer, end of the day feel in the image. I might even mess around with Duo Tone or grey scale. I don't work with back lit objects much, so this image will be a learning experience.

[insane_cratic_gal]

7. I think the back lighting is a beauty!

I think you did a fantastic job.


I have found that using channel mixer clicking on mono then adjusting the percentage of color.. for a black and white to be a far better way to make a black and white photo. Keep adding the 3 percentages up till they equal 100% so RED: 30% Green 40% Blue 30%


BTW the photo looks neat in a sepia color too or just messing with the hues if you can isolate the petals form the rest of the photo.

[alfredo]

8. I can't wait to start playing around with it. Maybe some

adjustment layers over monotone.

[alfredo]

16. this image is quite a bit brighter than the one on my drive.

The colors are much richer than what you see here. That is really odd.

[F.Gordon]

17. Looks damn fine to me

I wish I'd taken more flower snaps this summer. Your photo is very nice. Love the lighting on it. The paper tissue effect. Flowers are amazing "subjects".

[alfredo]

20. Thanks. This image was from last year. I don't take many

flower images, and when I do I usually look for something a bit twisted, or "twist" it a bit when I get home.

So here's a monochrome with a red fill layer altered a bit using color balance. I wanted the inner petals to stand out a bit. The color doesn't show as well on the browser.

[F.Gordon]

21. I'm lappin' it with a sucky monitor

Still looks great.... I often wonder if color distracts from flower photos. I mean, not always. I like the B&W ya' did with this one.

[alfredo]

25. Going B&W forces people to see flowers in a different way.

[insane_cratic_gal]

18. Might be how your monitor is calibrated

Often my stuff looks fine to me.. but will look flat to someone else.

Maybe research that a little bit? I'd offer up more help but I am by far an expert on the subject

[alfredo]

19. That's strange. I think it is how web browsers

display colors. I noticed the same thing with Mozilla browsers.

I recalibrated last week. The gamma needed a bit of a tweak.

[Maestro]

24. I like it.

Unique texture to the petals and you framed the shot well.

[alfredo]

27. I can't wait for the fall so I can photograph my favorite

subjects, dead and decaying things.

[bvar22]

29. Sounds like qa good contest theme!

*

[alfredo]

30. Death, dying and decay. It can be beautiful.