Nature Photographers Network
This is the preserved archive of the original Nature Photographers Network. The community continues at naturephotographers.network.
Passionate Bee
‹ PreviousMacro & Close-up GalleryNext ›

Passionate Bee

by Ed Williams

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted March 6, 2017229 views3 comments
This bee was on my favorite flower at my favorite gardens. Not sure if I toned down the red leaf in the BG enough on this or not. I know it is a bit distracting. Any suggestions on how to deal with it, other than don't take it in the first place?... Canon 60D, f5.6, iso 400, -1.3 EV, 100-400 ISL at 310 mm, Handheld, 90% of original. selective Gaussian blurring and toning down the BG. Thanks for your thoughts. Oh yeah, I also like the little curly tendril in the bottom RHS.

Comments

3 comments
Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on March 8, 2017 at 2:18 PM
Love this passionflower! The rest of the image is a conundrum.
Ed, Since you asked, this is what I'd do:
The easiest thing would be to get rid of the whole background, either by painting a new one in or using a program like Topaz Re-mask. You might leave in a few of the leaves and make the BG a green slightly lighter or darker. Then, extend the canvas in front of the flower with the content-aware tool in PS.
You could also blur the whole BG, or keep a few of the leaves sharp and blur the rest.
Or maybe, crop it tightly with the bee as the focus, and as much of the flower as is needed.
That pink wiggly thing is interesting, but, IMO, has got to go.
Good luck - this will be a challenge.
Sandy
Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on March 10, 2017 at 10:13 AM
Wow, the flower really pops here, Ed.  The details are great.  I'm chuckling about the tendril coming in from the lrc.  It's a fun addition and helps balance the image.  The red leaf in the background isn't a problem for me.  While you could crop this to focus more tightly on the flower, I prefer this version with it's good sense of the flower in it's environment.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Balan Vinod on March 15, 2017 at 5:52 AM
Fine details on the beautiful passion flower Ed. Rarely have I seen an insect on a passion.

Balan Vinod
Registered on March 20, 2006, 889 Posts, 2312 Comments