Digital photography of certain flowers

Cynthia Mueller c-mueller@tamu.edu
Thu, 25 Aug 2005 17:54:48 PDT
Jimmy: If you have access to Photoshop you might try manipulation.  Go to 'view' on the toolbar, then choose 'actual pixels' for your image, saved in your computer.  This will make the shiny areas of your flower image as large and easy to work with as possible. Then use the clone stamp to pick up a small portion of the flower showing the correct color and texture and clone this over the glaring portion.  Change the "contents" of the clone stamp occasionally to reflect shadow, etc if any.  You would be surprised how realistic this can look when the image is not blown up to the 'actual pixel' state.

Not entirely cricket, you say?  Many, many modern images have been worked on to some extent nowdays.  We don't have to be Luddites who repudiate working on images when the end result is a better digital approximation of what you viewed through your camera lens.  There's nothing really wonderful about bug holes or brown spots on leaves in an otherwise good image.  And we think drawings, watercolors, and oils of flowers are excellent things when done with attention to detail.  So I say, go for it! 

If you don't have Photoshop, ask a friend who does to show you how to do this on their machine.  Most Photoshop enthusiasts love to show off their stuff!

Cynthia Mueller

>>> jimmckenney@starpower.net 08/25/05 1:23 PM >>>
Denis Kramb wrote: "White flowers are extremely difficult for me to
photograph"

 

I've noticed the same thing. With white flowers, I generally take several
shots at different exposures. One of the nice things about digital cameras
is that you don't have to worry about wasting film - generally, you can take
a many pictures as you want and throw away the bad ones without regret or
expense. 

 

A flower I have found to be very difficult to photograph is Fuchsia
Gartenmeister Bonstedt. Whether in the sun or in the shade, the image always
comes out with a patch of glare on the flower. I've taken dozens of photos
of this one and have yet to get a perfect one. 

 

Does anyone have any suggestions? 

 

Jim McKenney

 

 

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