Mercer Moments 2

Gallery: FloraPosted July 6, 2010158 views16 comments

Sony A700
Tokina 300 AT-X Pro, 36mm Kenko XT
ISO 200, 1/500 @ f8

I don't use my 300 all that much since it is so heavy but sometimes I need the reach. At the Mercer Arboretum water lily pond access is limited so the longer lens does come in handy. It also has pretty nice bokeh and a fairly narrow DOF even at this distance. The lilies were all standing up quite a bit above the water so it was possible to get some variation in the BG from different colored pads. This was my favorite capture of this little guy combining center sharpness and blurred BG. All comments welcome.>=))>

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Bob&Charly Nelson on July 6, 2010 at 1:51 PM

Really nice Bill. I like the light and DOF. Well done.
Bob

Registered on October 27, 2005, 289 Posts, 4202 Comments

Comment posted by John&Patty Benway on July 6, 2010 at 2:10 PM

I can see why this is your favorite, gorgeous, and I really like the colorful BG. Beautifully done Bill.
John

Registered on May 12, 2006, 626 Posts, 8700 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on July 6, 2010 at 6:06 PM

Great comp using the yellow like a sun behind the lily Bill The dof is perfect for the other pads as well. The large version of this is particularly striking. Beautiful work.

Pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on July 6, 2010 at 6:33 PM

Great color and really nice light. Excellent use of that long lens, too. Well done.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Nathaniel Blood on July 6, 2010 at 7:43 PM

Great shot- DOF and color are fantastic, and I like the "mottled" background. Very nice!

Registered on September 29, 2006, 40 Posts, 383 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on July 6, 2010 at 8:02 PM

Bill:
I am finding out that the 300mm is a really useful lens for just this situation. I like this composition with the sharp lily and nice bokeh in the BG. Normally I find that bright primary color in the BG distracting but the yellow here kind of echo the yellow in the lily. For some unknown reason, I also find that squarish frame seem to go well with images taken with the 300mm.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by David Cobb on July 6, 2010 at 8:41 PM

Great lily shot Bill, I love the background sparkles and the color variety here.

Registered on December 14, 2007, 312 Posts, 3243 Comments

Comment posted by Steven M Kahn on July 6, 2010 at 11:38 PM

Bill, very nicely captured. The "setting sun" over the subject compliments the yellow center of the subject.

Registered on July 20, 2009, 140 Posts, 1198 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on July 6, 2010 at 11:38 PM

Perfect DOF for my taste, and I like the cheerful brightness of this exposure.

Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Bowman on July 7, 2010 at 12:08 AM

Beautiful capture Bill! Perfect DOF for my taste on this shot. I could have used your 300 last weekend at Denver Botanical for this very purpose!

Registered on June 19, 2008, 1005 Posts, 8028 Comments

Comment posted by Nathan Buck on July 7, 2010 at 2:20 AM

HI Bill. Great center sharpness, and a very pretty bloom. I wish that the one yellow pad in the BG was not quite as bright as it is - but I like that the BG is still pretty soft.

Nathan

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1101 Posts, 13589 Comments

Comment posted by Kathy Odiorne on July 7, 2010 at 12:39 PM

Nice capture, Bill. I love the background!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 211 Posts, 1471 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Benner on July 7, 2010 at 1:22 PM

You nailed it again, Bill. Great shot.

Registered on December 8, 2003, 482 Posts, 1868 Comments

Comment posted by Miro Susta on July 8, 2010 at 4:05 AM

Excellent Bill!! Well managed DOF and colour composition. The BG is perfectly matching to the flower.

Registered on August 18, 2006, 719 Posts, 3736 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Rhodus on July 8, 2010 at 8:42 AM

Nice work Bill. The separation of your main subject & the bg is just right, keeping some context between the two. I also like the spherical highlights here but I do think the wavy highlights in the shadows at LR are distracting and would darken or eliminate them if were this mine.

Registered on November 16, 2003, 157 Posts, 3326 Comments

Comment posted by Giuseppe Guadagno on July 8, 2010 at 4:22 PM

A feast of colors Bill! Very impressive.
Bill, I think that this photo deserves to be enhanced. My advice, if I dare, is to go out and buy a large quantity of patience. Then you can work hard for retouching many of the leaves of the flower. Sorry.
Cheers.

Registered on February 3, 2007, 827 Posts, 5052 Comments