Hibiscus I

Gallery: FloraPosted February 5, 2017195 views6 comments

We got back from a week long winter break on Kauai a few days ago and there were Hibiscus everywhere, so I spent some time photographing them while I was there. This one I composed backlit against a bright overcast sky in hopes of approaching some of the effects Gigi gets. I obviously have a long way to go, but I'm fairly pleased with the result. I rotated the flower considerably and cloned out some stray greenery that intruded at the edges.

5Diii, EF100 f/2.8 macro, tripod and cable release, f/22, 1/50, iso 500, aperture priority, pattern metering +3EV, manual focus. Processed in LR5 & CS6. Cropped to a 9.7 MP 6x7 format. Taken at 2:25 PM on January 27th in the parking lot of our condo in Kapaa, Hawaii.

Comments and criticisms are always appreciated.

Thanks,

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on February 5, 2017 at 3:05 PM

Pleased is an understatement! Best Flora shot I have seen from you. devil

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on February 5, 2017 at 7:15 PM

No one better to emulate for this type of image than Gigi. You did well with this beautiful yellow Hibiscus, Dennis. I like the high key light and white bg for the yellow flower. Being such large flowers, Hibiscus are difficult to get sharp from the base to the stigma. You got most of this one sharp but missed the stigma. Also, the stigma, where it emerges from the flower, is whiter than the rest of the pistil. I'd also like to see the stem with a more gentle fade-out. Minor nits. Very well done overall. crying

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by John Robinson on February 5, 2017 at 8:41 PM

Hi Dernnis

Fade out of the stem is interesting. Its often one of my headaches doing stuff like this. Either hide it or show it?
The high key effect is brilliant.
JohnR

Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on February 6, 2017 at 3:15 AM

Looking and learning, as I also got a bunch of good hibiscus images in Kauai and Maui the last 2 weeks... and Flora is certainly not my forte..
I like the translucence here, love the yellow hibiscus, and the high-key effect.
Not so sure about the stem fade-out...might be better with no stem at all.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Yun Gao on February 6, 2017 at 8:26 AM

Very nice high key image for me, Dennis. I find the hibiscus hard to photograph. I wish the stigma were more in focus. But that is a minor nit. Great experimentation!

Registered on September 11, 2012, 267 Posts, 1621 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on February 10, 2017 at 11:19 PM

Dennis: I'm coming to this a little late but I agree with Phil's comment. I especially like how you handled the stem. Many kudos. devil

>=))>

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