April

Gallery: FloraPosted April 16, 2010775 views30 comments

Between work and family demands, I have a hard time getting out much for photography. I had a chance to spend an hour in the field late Wednesday afternoon on the way back from a work-related trip. So I took advantage of it . . . though not without some hesitation because of the wind, bright sun, and short amount of available time. And I was pretty darn comfortable in the car.

This is one of the shots I came away with. Even though it was late in the day, you may notice some drops of condensation in the upper right corner of the poppy. This is pretty much straight out of the camera with a tiny crop and, I confess, a blend from a separate exposure taken a few seconds later to add a small amount of the purple (about 25%) to the right of the base of the flower.

As always, I greatly appreciate your comments and critiques.

Canon 5D, Tamron 90 mm, f/3.2 for 1/1000 second (ISO 200).

Comments

30 comments

Comment posted by Keith A Anderson on April 16, 2010 at 12:20 PM

Nice image, Phil. It has a very painterly quality with marvelous detail on the upper petals.

Registered on February 13, 2006, 166 Posts, 1818 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on April 16, 2010 at 12:30 PM

Masterful Phil, one of the best isolated poppy photos I've seen. I love what you did with the processing, I get no hint of the wind and sun (or lack of time).

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Reid on April 16, 2010 at 12:47 PM

love it...nice work

Registered on February 28, 2009, 37 Posts, 122 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on April 16, 2010 at 1:09 PM

Phil: I really like the BG here and the DOF choice. This may actually be my favorite of your recent poppies. Beautifully done.>=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on April 16, 2010 at 1:59 PM

Gorgeous, Phil. You spent that hour well I'd say. The background is killer.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Bob&Charly Nelson on April 16, 2010 at 2:03 PM

Phil, a stunning portrait with great processing. Really well done and displayed.

Bob

Registered on October 27, 2005, 289 Posts, 4202 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on April 16, 2010 at 2:07 PM

Thanks for the comments so far! Bill, it's my (new) favorite too . . . I sometimes question my instincts when I'm evaluating my own work, and that's part of the reason why NPN feedback is so helpful.

Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments

Comment posted by David Cobb on April 16, 2010 at 3:22 PM

Just a great background here Phil, and a wonderful poppy showcase.

Registered on December 14, 2007, 312 Posts, 3243 Comments

Comment posted by Giuseppe Guadagno on April 16, 2010 at 3:53 PM

Phil, I am here since quite a long time time exploring and admiring. There are so many things that catch my eyes: the warm tonalities of the yellow in of the flower, the shadings of so many nice colors in the background, the splendid contrast of the cold porpora that anchors tha basis. Beautiful, a winner for me.
Take care.

Registered on February 3, 2007, 827 Posts, 5052 Comments

Comment posted by Kathy Odiorne on April 16, 2010 at 4:34 PM

This is exceptional. I love the blend of warm colors and the soft focus. Very artistic and well executed image.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 211 Posts, 1471 Comments

Comment posted by Bernie Kasper on April 16, 2010 at 4:50 PM

Very nice !!!

Registered on June 5, 2005, 251 Posts, 3734 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on April 16, 2010 at 8:56 PM

Incredibly beautiful. Splendid work, Phil!

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on April 16, 2010 at 10:43 PM

Love the colors here, Phil. The shallow DOF along with the blend imparts a soft delicate feel to this image.

Ed

Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments

Comment posted by Kris Johnson on April 17, 2010 at 1:39 AM

I like the softness and colors. Great image.

Registered on March 6, 2010, 26 Posts, 299 Comments

Comment posted by Nathan Buck on April 17, 2010 at 2:24 AM

Awesome shot in every way Phil. Just wonderful. No nits here!

Nathan

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1101 Posts, 13589 Comments

Comment posted by Steven M Kahn on April 17, 2010 at 4:58 AM

Lovely capture Phil. I like the sharp orange hued subject against the muted bg. The purple adds a nice color mix to the green with a splash of blue bg against the orange subject. I imagine the water doplets get better with size!

Registered on July 20, 2009, 140 Posts, 1198 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on April 17, 2010 at 5:26 AM

Beautifully done Phil. The bg for the poppy is as fine as any I recall seeing. In fact I think I'd have to say the same for the image. Exceptional....

Pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lowe on April 17, 2010 at 10:51 AM

Just superb, Phil. I'd be happy to have just one shot like this in my files.

Registered on February 11, 2004, 777 Posts, 5252 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on April 17, 2010 at 5:00 PM

Wonderfully composed, Phil. The closed flower has a nice curvi-linear
line, and the wash of colors in the background is very artistic. Thanks
for sharing. I hope that you have more time to get out.

Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments

Comment posted by Debashis Bandyopad on April 17, 2010 at 5:51 PM

Terrific in every way Phil

Registered on June 24, 2007, 130 Posts, 1309 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Smith on April 17, 2010 at 8:07 PM

Beautiful capture! Folded petals are completely off the chart w/its purity of form, bit of relief along the edges ...and, of course, the dew. I don't know ...what is the cause...did you motion blur the bokeh? You have a hecka poppy shot and you b/g colors solidly compliment it. Well done!

Registered on September 5, 2008, 449 Posts, 2444 Comments

Comment posted by Russell Colletta on April 17, 2010 at 11:55 PM

Amazing image Phil. The light and processing are perfect. This is really done well.

Registered on October 31, 2009, 114 Posts, 1008 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on April 18, 2010 at 12:21 PM

Thanks again for all the comments. Ken, the background/bokeh is a bit tough for me to figure out here . . . I was surprised by the appearance myself when I pulled up the file (and three others that are very similar) in LR. I didn't do anything in the field other than use a diffuser to soften the light from the sun (which was behind me). While it does look like there's some motion going on in the background, at 1/1000 second, I doubt the wind would have had much effect.

Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on April 20, 2010 at 8:03 AM

Phil:
This is gorgeous. It only proof that you work best under pressure! Well done

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by Angela Classen on April 20, 2010 at 11:11 AM

I meant to comment earlier but time go away from me. So let me be the first to congratulate you on your EP!!

Gorgeous image and well deserving. Beautiful colors and the perfect BG.

Registered on June 13, 2007, 434 Posts, 2742 Comments

Comment posted by Ant on April 20, 2010 at 12:55 PM

It is a splendid picture, the contrast between the subject and the background works very well and the texture of the background is beautiful...

Registered on April 13, 2009, 27 Posts, 474 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on April 20, 2010 at 3:06 PM

Perfectly April, Phil. Looks like the Poppy hasn't quite decided if it's warm enough to unfurl in Spring, and that's what makes it so well-suited an image to depict this month. The color combination is wonderful and I like the blend very much.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Giuseppe Guadagno on April 21, 2010 at 4:10 PM

A chance to admire once again this splendid photo. Beautiful.
I am glad for you.