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Dahlia 2
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Dahlia 2

by Nathan Buck

Gallery: FloraPosted September 9, 2014247 views14 comments
Hi all.

More dahlia photos that I would like your honest opinions on. Does this work for you? Could you see it on a greeting card?

When I print my greeting cards at this point, I use a photo on the front and then just leave it blank.

Any and all thoughts appreciated.

Thanks!

Nathan

Nikon D7000, Sigma 180 macro, f11ish, ISO 400

Comments

14 comments
Comment posted by Ronald Murphy on September 9, 2014 at 1:04 PM
Well, YES this would make a nice greeting card. The mix of colors is wonderful.
Registered on March 13, 2012, 279 Posts, 975 Comments
Comment posted by Thomas Haney on September 9, 2014 at 2:55 PM
Gorgeous Nathan, I definitely think its worth printing.
Registered on April 7, 2013, 138 Posts, 537 Comments
Comment posted by Michael Cothran on September 9, 2014 at 4:22 PM
Beautiful image. The natural vignette from dark to light is amazing (even if you may have helped it along a bit). Your processing is superb here, and I really appreciate the extreme DOF.
Registered on December 5, 2012, 31 Posts, 730 Comments
Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on September 9, 2014 at 4:47 PM
Yes, good greeting card material-- the color gradient from dark red to maroon-purple is pretty and interesting. The highlights in the center look a bit bright? That's my only 'nit', because I love the light green near the center; it's a nice contrast to the reds.
Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on September 9, 2014 at 8:19 PM
I don't know about a greeting card, but I would be proud to print it big and mount it on my wall! :toast:
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Smith on September 9, 2014 at 8:48 PM
This is a nice dahlia photo. It excels in regard to colors, details, dof. In consideration for greeting cards, I think the shape is a bit long and narrow for the typical greeting card shape. And if your card will have a bit wide borders that are white, that will add emphasis to the white center in the bloom…which might be a bit too contrasty. To offset, I might use curves and color balance to tone down the center's brightness. As is, a sweet photo.
Registered on September 5, 2008, 449 Posts, 2444 Comments
Comment posted by Ramamohan Pai on September 9, 2014 at 9:51 PM
Nathan - Must be a massive Dahlia considering you got that crazy good DOF at F/11. Like your composition a lot with no OOF elements in the front.

I cannot speak to the greeting cards, as I do not understand their design aspects well.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 550 Posts, 9037 Comments
Comment posted by Sanjay Sundaram on September 9, 2014 at 10:56 PM
Nathan, this is stunning. The deep color and detail are amazing. I think this will look great printed as a card but would look even better printed large. Great work!

Sanjay
Registered on April 9, 2013, 107 Posts, 725 Comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on September 10, 2014 at 6:36 AM
Beautiful, Nathan. I agree with Ken's suggestion to tone down the bright center; otherwise, this is outstanding. I sell greeting cards, but not floral close-ups at this time, so I am not sure about what floral close-ups sell well to the public. I would think that royal purple would be popular, but I would also think that softer and more romantic may sell better (like Catherine's recent lensbaby images). :confused: Actually, Nathan, I would love to hear your views on what floral images sell based on your experience as I am expanding my own greeting card business (you can email me if you prefer). Also, do you print your own cards? I use psprint, personally, but this requires volume printing to be economical. :wavey:
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by Albert Darmo on September 10, 2014 at 11:27 AM
Hi Nathan :wavey: This one will work very well as a card for the public, and i am sure it will work well for us experts in flora :smile: :biggrin love the colors and composition..: but i agree with Ken about the center.. :smile:


Albert Darmo
Canada
Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Fach on September 13, 2014 at 6:31 PM
Nathan: We had some of this variety a few years ago and I have a few almost identical frames. I'm viewing this after Dahlia 3. Love the classic comp and the rich color. I like the unconventional comp of Dahlia 3 and do slightly prefer it but this gets very high marks from me. >=))>
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments
Comment posted by Nathan Buck on September 18, 2014 at 8:29 PM
Whoa! Total shocker for this to be chosen this week. Thank you very much to the mods and everyone!

Nathan
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1101 Posts, 13589 Comments
Comment posted by Giuseppe Guadagno on September 19, 2014 at 2:12 AM
Beautiful Nathan, I have missed it. The award is very well deserved.
Registered on February 3, 2007, 827 Posts, 5052 Comments
Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on September 19, 2014 at 6:26 AM
Bold and dramatic. Excellent perspective and details. Would work well on any medium, but I would love to see it on a large canvas.
Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments