Character + 2 reposts

Sharp a plenty, Barbara. Good color and comp. It is a pleasure watching you learn.

Thanks, Phil! I forgot to say also that this was the first time I've ever used a diffuser, and it was amazing. It took the reds all the way down from hot to the middle of the histogram. I was stunned, really.

I did not know you had used flash. A diffuser is an excellent choice. I just now noticed the f/32 and the 10 second exposure as well. Why that particular setting? Was this a classroom exercise?

No, I didn't use flash. It was just the fluorescent lighting that caused an issue. About the f/32, yes, Mike uses for the most part the very low numbers and the very high numbers, so that's what I wanted to try to do. I didn't think this kind of shot would be really good for partial blurring, so I chose to try for full focus. This morning I'm going to try something with f/2.8 and blurring.

I like the nice arrangemet. IMO it is perfectly sharp. The color combination is also very good. Nicely done Barbara.

Very nice, Barbara. The image holds my interest because of the curled petal. This image caught my eye right from the thumbnail.

OH MY you learn quick Barbara. Eye candy! Superb work in my opinion.
Bob

Barbara: Great comp and really good vision. I know you'll get a lot out of Mike's workshop. I can see the subtle softness but don't find it obvious. There is a lot of controversy regarding diffraction at small apertures. I know Mike discounts it and I can't say I've ever noticed blur that is clearly the result of it. That said, I rarely shoot smaller than f22 and try to avoid that if possible. My lenses (100mm and 200mm macros) shine between f8 and f16 so I try to stay in that range. I use my DOF preview extensively to get just the right effect. That teaches you a lot about hyperfocal points which at macro distances is critical if you're not doing stacking. Looking at this I don't think the DOF provided by f32 was absolutely necessary as the focal plane looks relatively flat. I'm guessing that a carefully managed f16 or f22 would have done the trick.

Diffusers and polarizers are underutilized tools in macro and flora photography. Reflectors also come in real handy for supplemental lighting. As for this specific shot it works very well for me. The aberrant petal does indeed give it a special character. Well seen and captured. >=))>

Barbara, great composition and nice colors. Fine detail too. Well done
Mauro

I think it's splendid Barbara: not only for the character but also for the stark composition and the contrast between the diagonal lines on the right an the points, circles, in the left: movement against immobility. Excellent!
Take care.

Barb found this great comp within this flower, and did a great job composing it. The softness was just the fact that she doesn't apply enough sharpening to her image. I went over this with her this morning and we got the image to look sharp. I shoot high f-stops all the time and yes you may get some diffraction but it's easily fixed by applying that right amount of sharpening. If diffraction was a problem all my images would be soft, but just as we can fix exposure and colors with photoshop, we can fix diffraction.

Great details throughout Barbara. This flower certainly has character with the color and that abberant petal. I think sharpness looks fine. Nicely done!

Nathan

Thank you very much for the comments.

First repost: Reprocessed with more sharpening and then used Viveza to add brightening and structure.

Second repost: Reprocessed with more sharpening, use of Viveza to add brightening and structure, and then use of Topaz Details.

Comments on which version (original, first repost or second repost) you prefer would be so greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Wonderful shots Barbara ,looks like you got some great ideas from the boot camp!

3d repost, definitely. So much sharper that you need a clone tool or spot healing brush to cure the break in the petal under the aberrant petal.

What I have called a diffuser is a flash diffuser, hence the confusion. What you used is a lens diffuser.

Nice shot Barbara......the composition is great. I love my diffusor...keeps me shooting long after the natural light turns harsh. Yes I either go for max dof or very shallow when shooting macros so if that's Mike's technique I guess Im on the right track.

First off, I hope you had a great time at his boot camp! We did one in February and loved it! Regarding the image, I think this is spot on. For me, this is the very definition of "character in nature." I love your composition. A couple things for me that I'd process: I'd brighten the image some because it seems pretty dark. Brightening would add some pop. The other thing I'd do (and brightening might address this) is to adjust your color slightly so the center of the flower is more of a true yellow instead of the yellowish green I am seeing. Beautiful image!
I just scrolled down (I do that after I write my initial response) and I like the second repost the best, but would probably still add additional brightness and slight color correction, if it were mine. Really a great shot!

This is very nice Barbara. Wish I would of seen your post early so you could of told him hi for me. This flower has lots of character and I think its plenty sharp. Nice job.