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by Craig Strand

Gallery: FloraPosted August 26, 2011155 views12 comments
I revisited the local water gardens that provided so many nice images on a visit last month. This time I brought my rail along to shoot some stacked images before the breezes came up. This image is a 17 image stack, cropped to about 85% of the original. Besides the bloom I really like the lily pads and the textured underside of the one on the left.

Larger version available, Thanks for stopping!

canon 7D
canon 100mm f2.8L IS USM
F/ 3.5 -0.67 1/80 ISO 100
tripod, rail, CS4, LR2, NIKs filter suite

Comments

12 comments
Comment posted by Matt Anderson on August 26, 2011 at 6:34 PM
I love the gallant colors. It has a bold illustrative feel. I really like it.
Reminds me of the Pink Floyd movie :biggrin:
Registered on September 6, 2007, 346 Posts, 2696 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Smith on August 26, 2011 at 8:03 PM
Painterly. Super...just super! Normally, I think of stacking used for sharpness...but, here my attraction is the light and warm glow. ...these softer textures - in this approach gives an oil painting quality. I like the adjacent leaf ...veiny and leathery. Nicely done! My one alternate thought is the sphere-like thing in the urc...taking up a bit of room ...can it be cloned ...replaced? (...oops, I am giving away my loose ethics regarding composition...in the name of art! )
Registered on September 5, 2008, 449 Posts, 2444 Comments
Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on August 26, 2011 at 8:10 PM
Craig:
A very beautiful water lily portrait :toast: Tack sharp for the stack and real rich colors. Yes the pads are nice.
Agree with Ken about darkening the arc in urc. I also find the bright spot along the left edge drawing my attention as well and cropping or cloning this out would improve this already fantastic image even more. Congrat.
Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on August 26, 2011 at 9:07 PM
Tremendously beautiful. :toast:
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by Bob Duff on August 26, 2011 at 9:46 PM
W :eek: W Craig, this is a masterpiece of light and texture. Can't think of a better water lily image.
Registered on April 21, 2010, 160 Posts, 1675 Comments
Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on August 26, 2011 at 11:35 PM
Love the richness of the colors, textures and details. Very dramatic with lots of impact. :toast:
Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments
Comment posted by Pat Sampson on August 26, 2011 at 11:45 PM
Wonderful light Craig and as fine a stack as I've seen. I'd darken the bright pad? on the viewer's mid-left - just the part touching the edge. Just superb otherwise for my tastes. Gorgeous color.

pat
Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments
Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on August 27, 2011 at 11:28 AM
Very artisitic feel and mood to this photo. Beautiful!
Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments
Comment posted by Wayne Willison on August 27, 2011 at 12:22 PM
Craig, this is a wonderful visual. The leaves both brown and green provide a solid yet not imposing contrast to the lily. I very much like the comp as well. Although I'm not a fan of using plugins for my post processing. Rather provide that flair myself.
Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments
Comment posted by Craig Myers on August 28, 2011 at 1:13 AM
There is a hyper-real quality to this that I really like. The textures just jump out of the frame. I wouldn't change anything. For me the bright edge adds depth, not distraction. I also like the lighter brown opposing arc on the right--it's a complementary shape that also adds a subtle degree of visual tension. Very, very cool.
Registered on September 1, 2008, 85 Posts, 757 Comments
Comment posted by Ramamohan Pai on August 28, 2011 at 6:29 PM
Pretty electric pinks there, Craig. Super sharp and a pleasing composition. Love the inclusion of blues at the top :cool:
Registered on November 1, 2003, 550 Posts, 9037 Comments
Comment posted by Morris McClung on August 29, 2011 at 12:32 PM
Love the rich colors. And your processing really takes it to an artistic level. Well done!
Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments