Calla

OMGosh! Fifty images! I love the curled tip with sweet light that lifts it out of the shadows. Those frazzle hairs are cool too. The light which accents the shapes giving the sculptured look is very refined...artistic. Wonderment! Ken S

Very elegant!

Fantastic !!!!! This is one of my favourites...

Brigitte

Without doubt you achieve tremendous beauty. Would you say approximately how much time you spend on an image like this?

50..FIFTY... images did you say!!!! What lens are you using...I don't think any of mine have THAT many gradations on the barrel. Did you and Terry go on a 3 week vacation in search of the illusive white calla while this thing processed?

Supurb detail and colour processing Pat.

Rich velvety colors, amazing depth. Incredible beauty

Thanks for the comments you all. I appreciate them.

Charlie,
This and the other variations I shot took about an hour to do and then I probably spent a couple of hours on different post processing approaches. If I knew what I wanted when I started, the shoot and post processing could be done in thirty minutes or so and most of that would be the time taken to process the stack. I don't really approach it like I'm trying to field strip a weapon though. It's more like whittling. (smile)

pat

Apparently I have a distorted mental image of how these stacking programs work and will not have a feel for them until I give it a try. I had imagined you spending 10-12 hours on that image.. It is beautiful.

Charlie,

Other than patience and a somewhat steady hand on the focusing ring, there's not much to creating a stack. After that I cull the oof images on both sides, if there are any and export the images from light room in TIFF format into a folder for Helicon Focus. I usually just use the default settings on Helicon, let it do it's thing and then export the finished image from Helicon to disk and re-import it into LR. I do usually check for artifacts from the process and sometimes clone them out. If your technique is good though and the light was consistent through the sequence, there usually aren't any. After that you process the image just as you would any other. Hope that helps.

pat

Wow, Pat. You outdid you. You have my sincere admiration for your skill, meticulousness, and artistry.

Wonderful shot- You've done an excellent choice with this subject for your task (I mean 50 image stack)- Beautiful lines, colours and detail on this- Also treatment of light is perfect- My best congrats, Fabio

Pat:
You are really killing us with your calla series. Each one is better that the one before. Can't wait to see the white one.

Wonderful "fine art" Pat. This portrait has it all for me, stunning light, composition and detail. Just wonderful.
Bob

Well, I would say the 50 images were well worth taking, Pat. That is just wonderful sharpness, in the centre especially, and, as ever, you've got the lighting on the stem just perfect. This has extraordinary presence.

As beautiful as it gets! I love the square comp!

About a 50 image stack

I haven't even progressed to a 2 image stack. Eye popping details and colors and just a fabulous result. 2+ thumbs up! >=))>

Great shot. Looks like a dancer swirling a velvet purple cape.

Wow..Stunning, Pat. That curl in the tip enveloping the main portion so gentle makes this highly pleasing . The lighting, details in the center and the processing simply put this over the top.

When do we see the White Calla now ?

Thanks for the comments.

Ram,

I still haven't found one that I want to shoot but have some buds that I hope will open up this week.

pat

Pat, these are the photos that I love most. I began photographing in digital with this type of dark images, in open air: but they had not enough beauty, as yours surely have. Splendid.
Cheers.

One word Pat...Exquisite! Bravo!!!

PS I think I would prefer a green border instead of the yellow. VERY small nit though.

Thank you for the comments. I appreciate them.

Christine,

I tried about fifteen borders on this thing. I actually started with a dark green and then tried a couple of different shades of it and then went to purples and near whites. When I put the yellow on it, the center popped more. To be honest I'm not wild about the color but it seemed to drive my focus toward the yellow center and since that's what I wanted to emphasize I chose the yellow. I wish I knew more about perception and how framing affects it. There have got to be some perceptual principles involved but I don't know what they are at this point. Thanks for the suggestion, I do appreciate it. If I find anything on framing that I think is relevant I'll post a thread on it.

pat

Hi Pat! Glad to be back, my first comment will be on this masterpiece with my fragile health, and advanced age, i dont think i'll graduate to the the helicon focus. but what a timesaver now back to this awesome Calla. It's a work of art, i would expect to see at the Riksmuseum or the Prado. absolutely breathtaking :toast
Albert Darmo:

Exceptionally fine work!! I am afraid my computer would have thrown up it's ram and walked out in a rage.