Description: One of Jenny’s favorite dahlia varieties is Melody Dora photographed after a rain shower. The flower’s colors change dramatically as the bloom ages. I chose this flower because of the richness of the purple, peach and yellow colors of this partially opened flower. I decided to use my Velo i-ttl cord for the master flash and two R200 macro flashes which produced subtle shadows. The flower looks best with subtle shadows and the white balance set to flash preserved the warmth of the colors.
Specific Feedback Requested:
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
D850 105mm f2.8 micro (1/13 second at f8.0, ISO 125) 4 flashes with 2 diffused through light tent, 40 image stack with PMax (Zerenre Stacker), Levels, Brightness & Contrast, rubber stamp tool to repair Japanese beetle feeding damage on some of the basal petals.
Is this a composite? (focus stacks or exposure blends are not considered composites)
If you would like your image to be eligible for a feature on the NPN Instagram (@NaturePhotoNet), add the tag ‘ig’ and leave your Instagram username below.
Without the water droplets this would be super, but with pushes it to a whole new level. Each petal is so silky smooth and the colors are so rich it hardly looks real. I’m curious as to the primary pollinators. Do you know? The transition from yellow to pink on one of the petals looks a bit sharp…was that the site of the beetle? Other than that the stack looks good. Were you not able to get the DOF you wanted like you did in the other Dalia shot?
Wow, this looks more like a painting more than it does a photograph, it is just so artistically rendered the way you have presented it. The colors are wonderfully rich without being over the top. Really nice work on this Jim.
Drop-dead gorgeous!!! The soft light and colors are amazing, as is the composition, and the droplets make it an 11/10.
I think I see the area @Kris_Smith commented about, on the near two of the “upright” center petals.Maybe it’s just shadows but a bit of 50% cloning could smooth it out.
Thank you @Kris_Smith, @Diane_Miller, @Ed_McGuirk, and @Vanessa_Hill for your comments and critiques. The area that Kris and Diane are commenting about is a sheath that covers the base of the petals. It can be easily de-emphasized as Diane mentioned…Jim
