Back to regular programming...

[janis]

(I'm with you, Mike. Even with Marie on my side, it's a little scary in the so-called "comfy" corner. )

I took some flower pics while I was in the butterfly conservatory and this is a crop of one of them. I am thinking I might like to give a print of it to a friend of mine, so I'd appreciate your thoughts. I have two versions, colour and b&w. Which do you prefer? Should I zap the little bug on the right? Does the crop look off centre to you?

[The Wirefox]

I must agree things are getting out of hand..some people eh?

Janis, it is certainly the first one for me. Superb clarity on the stigma and the anthas and a beautifully soft focus on the petals. Very hard to fault this but yes the fly should go and cropping 1/10th to 1/8th of the top would certainly improve the composition. The b/w version does not have the same impact for me. I think this is because there is not enough form and thus contrast in the softness of the petals.

[chrisc]

Agreed

[janis]

Aug 13, 2012 19:05:35 GMT The Wirefox said:

I must agree things are getting out of hand..some people eh?

(Grumble, grumble) I suppose I should thank you for not gloating over the fact that I twice kicked the ball into my own end zone.

Janis, it is certainly the first one for me. Superb clarity on the stigma and the anthas and a beautifully soft focus on the petals. Very hard to fault this but yes the fly should go and cropping 1/10th to 1/8th of the top would certainly improve the composition. The b/w version does not have the same impact for me. I think this is because there is not enough form and thus contrast in the softness of the petals.

Thanks for the critique. I should have been more specific about which bug. I am inclined to keep the one buried in the anther. At least I think it is a bug. I will try another crop later this evening.

[Stevewebb]

First one foe me too. Superb.

The bug on the right should go but the buried one is not really noticeable.

[macromeister]

Janis

The centre of the first one is mucho-excellenti! I'd be inclined to crop the outer area a little to lose some of the brightness, but I'd have been very pleased to have taken this. the colour is best.

[rasbury]

Agreed on the first image along with everyone else.

[mariehass]

Hi, Janis,

The color adds depth that the b&w does not. While the bug could be cloned, he is not obtrusive and adds detail to the study of your image. My vote for #1 also.

'Rie

[jeeperman]

Janis, I am with the others on #1, I also think the bug to the right should go. I tried to clean it off my monitor but it just would not clean off.

[Seri]

Hi Jan,

Those are beautiful images

I Agree with all that's been said before, and humbly thank you and Mike for snapping us all back to reality . I can't think who was slipping that stuff into our tea, but it was *not* our normal behaviour, I can assure you

Now I will follow your sterling example, re-arrange my clothes, stop drinking tea from unknown sources, and try to find something half-decent to post. This *is* a photography forum after all

[janis]

Aug 14, 2012 1:49:03 GMT Seri said:

it was *not* our normal behaviour, I can assure you

You don't fool me for a minute, you! you! you incorrigible you!

(Don't change.)

Thanks all. It's always nice when you agree on something. Interesting that only Marie understood my ambivalence about the bug, though. And shame on you Paul for trying to wipe it from your screen! Don't you understand that when you see a bug, you're supposed to get out your macro lens to record it and if it's too small for your macro, you get out the extension tubes, and if that's not enough, you get a more powerful macro, and so on and so on, until you're the one that gets wiped out.

Anyhow, here's another crop without the bug. If you think the clone job sucks, tell me so, but without using that word, if you can.

I have reframed the crop, but only slightly. Couldn't visualize what you were seeing, Steve. Bearing in mind what you said about brightness, Rob, I went to see if I could tone it down a bit, and ended up reworking the curves. Steve, you once said on this forum that one should always stretch each channel before adjusting the curve and that is what I have done on this edit. You were going to follow up that tutorial btw; if you ever did, I would be grateful if you could point me to it. I fear I've made it even brighter, but oh well, let me know what you think; I can easily change it back or tweak it some more.

[jeeperman]

Janis, the clone job is fine. Not perfect with the slight light spot but if I had only seen this version I would have never been able to find it even if told to look for cloning. Oh and I tried to wipe what I thought to be a drop of coffee off....when it did not come off I realized it was a bug. ;D

[janis]

Aug 14, 2012 3:26:58 GMT jeeperman said:

Janis, the clone job is fine. Not perfect with the slight light spot but if I had only seen this version I would have never been able to find it even if told to look for cloning.

Oh, good. I don't have much patience with cloning because of my carpal tunnel syndrome, but I did do it several times over until it was less obvious to me.

Oh and I tried to wipe what I thought to be a drop of coffee off....when it did not come off I realized it was a bug. ;D

Okay, now I get it. You're forgiven then.

[mariehass]

Janis,

I still like the first image, but then, I always like to find something unexpected in an image that I am looking at. To me, the cloned image did not have anything I would talk about - point out to others. Please, this is JMHO.

'Rie

[janis]

I am quite sympathetic to your opinion, Marie. I, too, like images that bear close viewing. If the little bug had been more clearly a bug or perhaps cleverly camouflaged, I would most certainly have left him in. But given that he was taken for a coffee stain, he is perhaps better gone. At least they let me keep the other one.