I enjoy the process of 'working' a picture - starting out with a subject then working it via focal length, f stop, focus, position, and lighting. This is a long and contemplative process.
In the examples attached, the first picture is establishes my subject, approximate position, lens, and exposure. I briefly study this picture to determine what steps I want to take to improve it. The second picture is the final result, 29 exposures latter, with minimal processing in LR: sharpen, black and white points, a little fill, adjustment brush to darken, increase saturation and clarity of the center of the flower, and HSL luminance to darken magentas and purples of the flower petals with a slight increase in their saturation.
The third picture shows all the crap that I used to achieve the result. I don't go to these lengths except in my yard where everything is close at hand. In the field, I work pretty much like anyone else.
The black gobos are to knock out the sun and create a shadowed background. A long focal length is used to blur the background and too reduce how much background is shown, easier to shadow. A white translucent material is placed over the flower to reduce the contrast of a high noonday sun. A silver reflector was handheld reflecting the sun back into the flower from the rear giving the rim light.
It takes lots of time because things are constantly changing, the flower moves in the wind, must adjust composition. The sun moves changing where the shadows fall, must adjust gobos. Fix one thing and mess up another. I trim the flower if necessary, remove weeds and distractions in the background, etc. Finally, it all comes together and the final image. I am overcome with a sense of satisfaction that I usually don't get when I go out and just snap.
Looking at the final image, about the only thing I might have changed is to trim away the large bud in front of the flower.
What do you think? Am I crazy.
Larry
In the examples attached, the first picture is establishes my subject, approximate position, lens, and exposure. I briefly study this picture to determine what steps I want to take to improve it. The second picture is the final result, 29 exposures latter, with minimal processing in LR: sharpen, black and white points, a little fill, adjustment brush to darken, increase saturation and clarity of the center of the flower, and HSL luminance to darken magentas and purples of the flower petals with a slight increase in their saturation.
The third picture shows all the crap that I used to achieve the result. I don't go to these lengths except in my yard where everything is close at hand. In the field, I work pretty much like anyone else.
The black gobos are to knock out the sun and create a shadowed background. A long focal length is used to blur the background and too reduce how much background is shown, easier to shadow. A white translucent material is placed over the flower to reduce the contrast of a high noonday sun. A silver reflector was handheld reflecting the sun back into the flower from the rear giving the rim light.
It takes lots of time because things are constantly changing, the flower moves in the wind, must adjust composition. The sun moves changing where the shadows fall, must adjust gobos. Fix one thing and mess up another. I trim the flower if necessary, remove weeds and distractions in the background, etc. Finally, it all comes together and the final image. I am overcome with a sense of satisfaction that I usually don't get when I go out and just snap.
Looking at the final image, about the only thing I might have changed is to trim away the large bud in front of the flower.
What do you think? Am I crazy.
Larry