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Lupine Dream
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Lupine Dream

by Lon Overacker

Gallery: FloraPosted August 18, 2011293 views25 comments
I think it was Bill who gave me a little friendly encouragement not to long ago and so I thought I'd stop by and share a little summer wildflowers from the Sierra.

This was captured just a couple weeks ago up on the Sonora Pass right at 9,300ft in elevation. With the very long winter, the upper passes are later than normal for flowers. Fortunately there were a few good lupine blooming and even better, tons of other smaller flowers. Quite a show of wildflowers in the Sierra this year.

I just learned something new in commenting on some of the images before posting this. And that's the term "cramming." Is that what I've done here with this image? I shot through other lupine getting them close to the lens to blur them and thus providing some nice color. Is that what cramming is?

Captured of course with the 4x5, a 300mm lens and this is pretty much the full frame. I see a few other potential crops, but thought I would start with the original capture. Film is Velvia, so I've actually pulled back the green/blue/purple saturations a little bit. Curious to know how the saturation and colors in general look.

I also added a slight bit of blurring at the bottom of the image. But pretty much the oof focus areas are a result of shooting wide open (which is f/9).

Enough rambling, I would love to hear your thoughts on this one.

Thanks!
Lon

Comments

25 comments
Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on August 18, 2011 at 5:40 AM
Lon:
I am a fan of your landscape and its very nice to see your florascape here; a very beautiful cram indeed. The wash of different colors in the bg is really a delight to view. The velvia effect works well for floral work and the saturation looks fine. Like this a lot.
Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments
Comment posted by Bob&Charly Nelson on August 18, 2011 at 7:55 AM
Lon, this is a wonderful display of the "cramming" effect in my opinion. Great OOf areas highlighting the subject. Superb work.
Bob
Registered on October 27, 2005, 289 Posts, 4202 Comments
Comment posted by Pat Sampson on August 18, 2011 at 7:56 AM
Hi Lon. Good to have you posting over here again.

This is indeed what the folks in this gallery call a cram. Beautiful color palette (the saturation looks fine on my MacBook) in this one and the lupine on the upper left power point works really well. I don't see a better crop and I've got no other suggestions here. Perfect title for the image and I like the mood of it very much. I'm looking forward to seeing more of these.

pat
Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on August 18, 2011 at 8:16 AM
Expertly done, Lon. Beautiful image.
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by Derek Yow on August 18, 2011 at 9:43 AM
Looks like a cram to me Lon, and an excellent one! The color wash is just the right amount to not be too overpowering and still allow plenty of detail to show through. Well composed and presented!
Registered on May 18, 2010, 26 Posts, 655 Comments
Comment posted by Harley Goldman on August 18, 2011 at 11:01 AM
Gorgeous, Lon! Wonderful light, comp and color. Love it!

I see why you said you love the bokeh of the Nikkor 300mm f/9.
Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments
Comment posted by Nathan Buck on August 18, 2011 at 12:16 PM
Hi Lon. This is VERY pretty. I love the colors, and the cram effect is just right. Wonderful work, with great results. One thing that I sometimes do in Photoshop with my cram shots is set the clone brush on a very large size, with an opacity around 50%. Then I hit some of the areas that need a touch of softening, but not to completely cover the element. I could see this helping on the center top of the image - just to soften it a tad.

Here is a link to an article that I wrote on cramming a while back. I am glad to see you giving the technique a try, even if you did not know that you were at the time. :smile:

Nathan
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1101 Posts, 13589 Comments
Comment posted by Gary McGhee on August 18, 2011 at 2:34 PM
Very nice indeed Lon,

Gary.
Registered on April 15, 2010, 142 Posts, 2416 Comments
Comment posted by Robert Dayton on August 18, 2011 at 2:40 PM
Beautiful, Lon! This doesn't seem to be your regular style or subject matter, but it's very well done.
I love the colors and the blurring effect.
Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on August 18, 2011 at 5:05 PM
Love the one sharp lupine bloom in the midst of the wash of green and purple provided by the cram. The hints of sharpness in the flowers on the right add a lot of interest.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Ramamohan Pai on August 18, 2011 at 5:30 PM
Love every pixel in it, Lon !!. Is'nt that film rendition (specially Velvia) really something ? The foreground wash, main subject and the background are all marvellous :toast:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 550 Posts, 9037 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on August 18, 2011 at 5:38 PM
Thanks folks! I admire the work that is always on display here so it means a lot to get some great comments.

Here is a link to an article that I wrote on cramming a while back. I am glad to see you giving the technique a try, even if you did not know that you were at the time.

Thanks for the cloning tip Nathan, I'll be sure and give that a try. BTW, I've had that technique in the toolbag for many years, it's just that I haven't had so many opportunities with flowers. I just never heard of the term before. I guess I'm dating myself eh?

I may have a couple others to post, but won't equal this one. Thanks again!

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by Richard Teller on August 18, 2011 at 6:59 PM
The blend of colors here is great. The eye is drawn right to the one flower in focus. Fine image.
Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments
Comment posted by Larry Lynch on August 18, 2011 at 7:11 PM
Absolutely terrific. You need to visit more often. The colors and comp are amazing.
Registered on September 16, 2006, 773 Posts, 9940 Comments
Comment posted by Phillip Noll on August 18, 2011 at 8:54 PM
Its like flying in a blue dream! :toast:
Registered on November 17, 2003, 207 Posts, 1083 Comments
Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on August 18, 2011 at 10:55 PM
Love the hazy mixture of the colors with the few more defined flowers. A dreamy and artistic photo.
Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments
Comment posted by Brigitte Lorenz on August 19, 2011 at 1:56 AM
beautiful image...light,colors and bg are fantastic, all together a wonderful mood

Brigitte
Registered on January 10, 2009, 187 Posts, 1507 Comments
Comment posted by Wayne Willison on August 19, 2011 at 12:44 PM
Lon, nice work. I like the clarity of the main bloom and how the image falls into a mystique quality from there. It must be a delight to work in that 4x5 ground glass. But I also find the top a little distracting, and agree with Nathan that a bit of softening would help there. Also, I might consider desaturating the purples, just where they hover over the right side pinkish bloom. I think the pink then gained there would add another subtle color element.
Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments
Comment posted by Anne K. Rusk on August 19, 2011 at 10:26 PM
This is excellent, Lon! I am loving everything about it! I have a very, very minor nit... I'd consider darkening down the bright bloom in the lower center ever so slightly. It gets most of my attention, I hate to say. I don't remember if you work with Nik filters or not, but if you do, I'd try the darken/lighten to bring the most attention to the focused lupine in the ULC. If not, I'd just burn down that bright one a little and it would be out of this world even more than it is. These lupine framed this way are exceptional!
Registered on October 10, 2010, 65 Posts, 904 Comments
Comment posted by Wayne Jones on August 20, 2011 at 12:52 AM
Fantastic, dreamy image, Lon. The cram (unfortunate name IMHO, but convenient shorthand for the technique) and the colors say "summer" to me.
Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Fach on August 20, 2011 at 1:15 AM
Lon: Sorry to be so long in getting to this. Of course you get extra points for shooting a bluebonnet :wink: This is just drop dead gorgeous. Superb cramming and a terrific color palette. Keep 'em coming! >=))>
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on August 20, 2011 at 2:56 AM
I want to thank everyone for their thoughtful and honest responses. Quite a few excellent suggestions that I will most certainly be considering <should> this ever see a print. I agree with softening both the color and general presence of color behind the primary subject as well as toning down the secondary lupine below/right. Excellent suggestions all of them.

thanks so much for the Flora welcome. You guys are great!

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by Christine Jackson on August 20, 2011 at 9:55 AM
Lon,

Excellent use of color and DOF. Just GORGEOUS!!!

Chrisie Jackson
Denver, Colorado
Registered on September 19, 2010, 20 Posts, 244 Comments
Comment posted by Morris McClung on August 23, 2011 at 6:52 PM
A marvelous cram and the comp is superb. Then there is the color! Outstanding flora shot, Lon!
Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments
Comment posted by Albert Darmo on December 11, 2011 at 6:28 PM
Hi Lon :wavey: Probably you will never read this so late comment. I love everything about this image, EXCEPT for the OOF diagonal pink blurr behind that splendid Lupine, it really distracts me, and the left upper part of the blurr could have been cloned, probably, it's just me. but i like to be honest in my comments
Albert Darmo
Canada
Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments