Sunflower II repost

Gallery: FloraPosted September 27, 201075 views16 comments

I have spent hours and hours developing this image and have actually had a lot of fun with it. I now have 5 or 6 very different versions and I think I've learned a lot along the way. I appreciate all the input.

In this version I am trying to bring the flower front and center and yet still preserve a sense of the complete plant by keeping some of the greenery. I did tone down the vibrancy of the leaves and also made them a bit more green. I brought up the vibrancy of the flower.

I had to pull the saturation of the yellow down a lot as I made use of Nik filters to try to bring out the "sunshine".

I hope this image does not have anything that distracts from the flower and that in fact the remaining leaves help to balance the overall image.

I look forward to your comments and thoughts.

Peter

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Peter Conway on September 27, 2010 at 9:31 PM

and just for fun here is a totally different treatment. This includes lots of processing a notable part of which is the Nik Glamor Glow filter

Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on September 27, 2010 at 10:18 PM

Two different images Peter. I like them both. The first image doesn't seem balanced to me. I think having more space on the viewer's left for the leaf would help but the amount of foliage in the upper left still breaks the pattern of the bloom for me. I really like the stalk and think it adds a lot to the image in this case. If you have that much greenery on the upper left, I think you need more somewhere else around the flower. This could certainly just be me though.

I've got no problem with the second except I like the stalk and think the image is more interesting with it.

Borh images are beautiful IMO. Certainly a fine second post for the subject.

See what Bill and the others think.

Pat

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

Comment posted by Carol Hyman on September 27, 2010 at 10:42 PM

Peter, I think you're very, very close. Add just enough space to put the tip of the leaf on the left back into the scene and maybe about 1/4" more black space and I think it will be just about as perfect as you can make it.

Nice job.

Keep it up.

Ciao ;^)

Carol

PS Peter, way to go. Your last post is really cool. Now, if you're like me and my Bougainvilleas, you'll find a totally different way to shoot that sunflower with yet another mood.

Registered on January 18, 2007, 597 Posts, 8062 Comments

Comment posted by Nathan Buck on September 27, 2010 at 10:53 PM

I prefer the original in this thread Peter. I think that it is my favorite of all of these that you have done. This one is REALLY well done. Very very cool. Just the right amount of greenery for me.

Nathan

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

Comment posted by Bill Fach on September 27, 2010 at 11:05 PM

Peter: I like how you're working this. I like the comp of the first and the amount of greenery. I like the vibrance of the flower on the second but I don't find it as interesting as the original. Nice work. >=))>

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

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on September 28, 2010 at 2:04 AM

Peter:
I like the original and like Carol I wish the leaf tip is not touching the left edge; a little more room here would be perfect. Well done

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

Comment posted by Mauro Pasquero on September 28, 2010 at 3:22 AM

I like the original post, Peter.
It is too much perfect !!! IMHO you have to leave some bugs or hole to give us the possibility to express some critique

Mauro

Registered on January 21, 2010, 650 Posts, 2500 Comments

Comment posted by Debashis Bandyopad on September 28, 2010 at 7:04 AM

Great result Peter.

I do prefer the first one to the second.

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

Comment posted by Peter Conway on September 28, 2010 at 8:50 AM

Carol said "Add just enough space to put the tip of the leaf on the left back into the scene and maybe about 1/4" more black space"

Bill said "I like the vibrance of the flower on the second"

and I agree that both those thoughts are improvements. I cloned out more leaf to get there and then did make light use of the Nik Glamor Glow filter.

It sure is fun to be getting this kind of feedback from so many talented people. I'm having a great time with this. Now I need to find a new subject.

Registered on June 25, 2007, 347 Posts, 3913 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on September 28, 2010 at 9:45 AM

Peter,

The last post is another improvement as far as my tastes are concerned. Don't know that there' much more you could do with it. For a totally different approach to a sunflower and one that uses greenery with great effect, (at least imo) look at Feinstein's Sunflower image in his One Hundred Flowers book, if you happen to get to a book store. I think it's my favorite of all the sunflowers I've seen - and I do like sunflowers.

Pat

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

Comment posted by Ian Wolfenden on September 28, 2010 at 9:58 AM

Beautiful image, Peter ! Everything is perfectly rendered, and I especially like the first shot with the touches of leaves and stem. All your work has really paid off.

Registered on May 18, 2007, 1108 Posts, 7647 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on September 28, 2010 at 6:50 PM

It's hard to find much to critique in any of the three versions you've presented here. I might lean towards the third, but could easily go with either of the others. Very nice work . . . you and Pat have set the bar pretty high for sunflowers with your recent posts.

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

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on September 28, 2010 at 6:53 PM

I like them all. Probably the third is my fav, but all are beautiful. Excellent work.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on September 29, 2010 at 9:59 PM

Hi peter

Amazing work on all three versions

prefer the first version, with the green touch.

Albert Darmo. Canada

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments

Comment posted by Giuseppe Guadagno on October 1, 2010 at 1:46 PM

Peter, I am very late, I know, but I want to tell you how much I love your photo; most of all, the great range of light tones in the petals of the sunflower and then the leaves, that create a natural look to the image. Beautiful!
Take care.

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

Comment posted by Morris McClung on October 4, 2010 at 11:14 PM

I prefer the first myself, and the light makes this one pure art!

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