• Please use real names.

    Greetings to all who have registered to OPF and those guests taking a look around. Please use real names. Registrations with fictitious names will not be processed. REAL NAMES ONLY will be processed

    Firstname Lastname

    Register

    We are a courteous and supportive community. No need to hide behind an alia. If you have a genuine need for privacy/secrecy then let me know!
  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

Flowers by the wayside, I show mine, now show yours! Just Monocots e.g. orchids!

J

James Newman

Member
These are some more "wayside" flowers I shot on our recent trip to North Carolina. My mother-in-law is a lover of everything flowers and she has a beautiful garden and koi pond in her backyard. I took these early on our first morning there. It had rained the night before, hence the water on the petals. I had these both printed for my wife and they turned out very nice. The look a bit like watercolor to me.
0504_NorthCarolina_3145.jpg


0504_NorthCarolina_3217.jpg
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
James,

The colors re exceptional so did you help that a wee bit? Are these supersaturated and is the first that exceptional purple blue magenta high fashion color?

I wonder what could print that?

Asher
 
K

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
The wayside of Stockholm....

We were strolling in the Gamla Stan area of Stockholm, on The Queen's Way when I spotted these Agapanthus (also known as Lily of the Nile)....taken with the Canon 5d and the new Tamron 28-300 vr

320202021_J2E6B-S.jpg

(c) Kathy Rappaport 2008
 
R

Ron Morse

New member
Early morning daylily

The rain had just stopped. Still playing with film off and on.

EOS 3
CZJ 35mm/f/2.4
Fuji 400 superia
47zn0.jpg
 
K

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
Color and Contrast

Hi Gary!

Nice to see you here! Love #3's color and contrast and how you isolated the flower!

Hope to see you more around here, Hope all is well.
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Ron Morse said:
The rain had just stopped. Still playing with film off and on.

EOS 3
CZJ 35mm/f/2.4
Fuji 400 superia
47zn0.jpg
Click to expand...

I love that yellow, Ron! What flower is that? I notice there is a sphere of water on the stamen. I wonder if there is any reflection in it? Have you looked? Superior gives vivid colors and is perfect for this. Are you processing this yourself.

Asher
 
R

Ron Morse

New member
Asher Kelman said:
I love that yellow, Ron! What flower is that? I notice there is a sphere of water on the stamen. I wonder if there is any reflection in it? Have you looked? Superior gives vivid colors and is perfect for this. Are you processing this yourself.

Asher
Click to expand...

Hi Asher,

Thank you.

Yes I looked but no reflection. I believe this is a daylily. I take the film into wallyworld and get it developed for negatives, then scan it into lightroom and then cs3. I can't make my mind up, I might like kodac gold better. I intend to get some slide film for the fine grain and colors and then scan the transparencies even though it is less forgiving.

I gave away all my darkroom stuff many years ago. I wish I had it back now.
 
N

Nathaniel Alpert

Member
Asher Kelman said:
Mike,

....
All in all the first picture, despite the central placement is the one I like best becasue it is obviously a complete statement and has no distracting elements. Still, if the b.g. would have some remnants of life, it would, to me at least, be better!

...

Asher
Click to expand...

Asher,

Here is another one with a black background. Perhaps you would be so kind as to crtique this one too. Perhaps you can expand your thoughts on the black background by comparing with the original of Mike Shimwell. In this case, I was trying for a black background, expecting that it would be a good choice by enhancing the contrast and lighting.

-Nat

1328IMG_8660-Edit.jpg
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Daughter Thread: Approaching the flower with a dark background: how it might work?

We need a daughter thread for this new topic and it's found here.
Nathaniel Alpert said:
Asher,

Here is another one with a black background. Perhaps you would be so kind as to crtique this one too. Perhaps you can expand your thoughts on the black background by comparing with the original of Mike Shimwell. In this case, I was trying for a black background, expecting that it would be a good choice by enhancing the contrast and lighting.

1328IMG_8660-Edit.jpg
Click to expand...

Hi Nat, Mike, Rachel and James,

So what is the significance of a very dark to black background. The dark does allow the mind to create possible presence using signals from the rest of the picture or collection of images presented to the viewer.

Using pure black(or white) as a background for flowers is functional for catalogs of flowers for botany. It also works for for stock photography where the image can be used in composites with little editing.

However for art photography of flowers, my thoughts on this are developing and perhaps as new to me as to some of you.

So add your thoughts and new examples in this new thread, Approaching the flower with a dark background: how it might work?.
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I was photographing this flower when a homeless man followed me and started planting seeds in the ground, in the thread here.

Well this is what I was photographing when he came along:

IMG_6466_800pixels_BirdofParadise.jpg


© Asher Kelman "Setting Sun lighting Birds of Paradise"​

I really like the fact the way the light transilluminated the flower so I underexposed 1 stop using the G10 at 200 ISO, 1/500 sec at f4.0. This should really be photographed with a 50mm f1.2 or even better a large format camera! However, the advantage of the G10 is that it's always available!

I hope you guys like it too.

Asher
 
Last edited:
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
I managed to get a few shots before I decided that the situation was a little strange and I should move on. I like to look for different ways that one might look at these magnificent flowers. I'd seen nothing like this before coming to California. I have not lost my fascination for these birds of paradise.


IMG_6498single_side800.jpg


© Asher Kelman Bird of Paradise" One Fower at Sunset​

I'm impressed at this little Canon G10. I have not put it through Niose Ninja although I did use Photoshop to reduce noise in the blue and green channels. This one shows one flower only by underexposing and just having the bright light from the setting sun lighting up through flower. A small proportion of indirect ambient light barely illuminates the rest of the floral structure.

Asher
 
G

Gary Ayala

New member
A few BOPs ... I agree about never getting enough or the feeling that I've have yet to do them justice ..
#1
129367198_nKCZA-L-1.jpg


#2
120794507_wZqnQ-L-1.jpg


#3
53113578_eSEXm-L.jpg


Gary
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Gary Ayala said:
A few BOPs ... I agree about never getting enough or the feeling that I've have yet to do them justice
Click to expand...

#2
120794507_wZqnQ-L-1.jpg


Gary, I really enjoyed your pictures especially this one. It's original and is striking and reminds me somehow of the South Western USA. Maybe it evokes ideas of cactus in the blazing sun. The overlapping motif is interesting. The bold use of balancing empty space works well here. Tell me how you arrived at the colors?

Asher
 
K

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
Asher and Gary,

I went on a walk here at the office - sans camera - and found multiple BOP's in full regalia in bloom here. Besides the 2 story one visible from my desk. After seeing these it makes me want to go out and shoot them.
 
G

Gary Ayala

New member
"In March the azalea hedges in the pool area will be blooming. Those pictures will be great. We should make a visit!

Asher"


I'll bring the beer.

Gary
 
G

Gary Ayala

New member
Kathy Rappaport said:
Asher and Gary,

I went on a walk here at the office - sans camera - and found multiple BOP's in full regalia in bloom here. Besides the 2 story one visible from my desk. After seeing these it makes me want to go out and shoot them.
Click to expand...

If you go for the two story BOP ... watch your step.
 
K

Kathy Rappaport

pro member
Getty Azaleas

Have the Azaleas at the Getty started blooming yet? They are magnificent as are the Camillias at the Huntington - which are in bloom.
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
While I was visiting the Los Angeles Artist who is making the Hospital Sculpture for the Opera, Crescent City, I was fascinated by the wild grasses blowing in the brisk wind. So I decided to grab a few.

_MG_0679Grasses Cropped_800.jpg


Asher Kelman: Grass Outside Artist's Studio

​


_MG_0680Grasses_Cropped_800.jpg


Asher Kelman: Grass Outside Artist's Studio

​


_MG_0686Grassescropped_800.jpg


Asher Kelman: Grass Outside Artist's Studio

​
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top