Another accidental B&W

[nikonbob]

Playing with the old 105/4 micro Nikkor on the D700 today. I was trying a few B&W conversions and this one struck my fancy. It is a vertical crop to 8x10 from a photo taken in landscape mode. I think I was a hair out on the focus though.

Bob

[photax]

Bob, this is a very beautiful picture, I like it in B/W ! Nikkor`s never get "old"

MIK

[nikonbob]

MIK

Thanks, sometimes I get lucky. You are right about the Nikkors.

Bob

[nikonbob]

OK, where are all the critics when you need them?

Bob

[daveh]

Bob, the trouble is I don't make a good critic, but if you want me to....


I would have taken a pair of scissors with me and cropped the plant, to remove unwanted elements. The other option would have been to have gone a day or two earlier so the flower mid-right of photo had not opened fully: this would have given you a tighter crop on the right.

Failing this, resort to photoshop.

Cropping it tighter at the top would emphasise the main flower more. I suggest also hard cropping it and then cloning out the remains of the petals mid-right. Something like this:


Whether I believe fully what I have written and done is another matter.

What is true that the exact same image seen as a big print will look much better than a small image on the screen: whereas some images look good on screen, but won't blow up.

[nikonbob]

Dave

Don't worry I am in the same boat when it comes to being a critic. Your take seems pretty reasonable to me. Did you notice that the lower flower looks like a crying face? Good point too in that sometimes an image the looks fine on screen does not translate well into a larger print.

Bob

[mickeyobe]

To ever so slightly change the subject.

The left hand petal of the two bottom ones has four grey circles surrounded by light halos.
They do not look natural like the water drops on the other petals.

Were they in the original photo or are they the result of manipulation?

Mickey

[daveh]

Mickey, you see everyone sees something different.

I was just completing a post, pressed the wrong key and managed to lose it all.

I shall recoup my thoughts and post again on it, but one thing I saw in the photo, when I first looked, was that the middle of the main flower looks like the glass rod that holds the element of an incandescent light bulb.

Now you mention the circles I wonder why I didn't spot them before.

Bob, I'm still trying to spot the face, but I did notice the fly. I did explain on my lost post that the screen size of the notebook isn't really good enough for viewing portrait orientated photos.

Dave.

[daveh]

The grey circles and halos seem to have gone:


Combination of cloning and healing tool.

[nikonbob]

Mickey

Those halos you mention were in the original photo also and I believe that those are water drops/dew on the backside of the back-lighted petals. I think that would explain the peculiar effect.

Dave

If you stare long enough you may see the face but then maybe it is a good thing you don't see like I do. The glass rod that you see is also water held on the, and I am searching for the correct word here, pistol/stamens of the flower. Water tension is an amazing thing. Anyway that is my story and I am sticking to it.

Bob

[Doug T.]

Hi Bob!
I like the strong contrast. It's a nice shot. Did you take it after it rained, or did you mist the flowers ?
I see a face as well and probably would have stuck a little tongue on it.

I'm not allowed to play with scissors.

Doug

[nikonbob]

Doug

Thanks, it had been lightly raining on and off that morning. At least there are two of us who see faces.

Bob