"Chicks With Swords"

lifeinfocus

"Chicks With Swords", the name of this daylily. Didn't know which folder to put this image - not really Macro, and doesn't seem to fit in Landscape, so....

My method for capturing images of my wife's 260 plus daylilies is to set Picture Control on camera to near extreme - hue, contrast, saturation..... Capture in RAW and use the RAW image as guide to do the first round in processing Lightroom.

Then at night pick the daylily and put under 5500k CFL light next to my computer, then I redo the image to get the color more accurate, using "Colors" part in Lightroom. I am getting much closer now to matching the original colors. Red and yellow seem to be the more challenging colors to accurately capture.

Try to make the image more artistic versus documentary and still match colors if it fits for the image.

ISO 200, 1/160s, f/4, 34mm, Auto WB, hand held.

roaddog52

A wonderful image, great color, processing and composition.

Jack'll do

I thoroughly agree with roaddog, and your processing routine is certainly inline with your Ansel Adams quote. I think it would be even more stunning if you were to clone out the orange spots in the background as they do seem to draw the eye away from the flower a bit.

lifeinfocus

Jack'll do wrote: »

I think it would be even more stunning if you were to clone out the orange spots in the background as they do seem to draw the eye away from the flower a bit.

Good point. I did clone an area in upper right and burn an area in lower right. I had considered doing the background flowers too. Since this image can't be used for PSA nature images competition now because of that post processing, I might as well go ahead and try that. Our camera club, http://www.midlandcameraclub.org/, is a member of PSA, http://www.psa-photo.org/.

Thanks for comment and idea, Phil