I Lost My Poppy
Last week Brent mentioned that red is very difficult to capture well. This is indeed true. I took several pictures of this massive red poppy and was very disappointed that there was almost no definition on the red pedals. I liked the composition of this shot, but as it was, it was unusable.
A little Photoshopping brought this poppy back though. Believe it or not, the textures you see here are actually very accurate, though they may look manufactured. The pedals of this flower are very thick and feel almost waxy.
If anyone out there has any tips on how to photograph the colour red and maintain well defined detail, please share. I tried several different exposures and never got the desired result. Photoshop worked, but what did they do before Adobe was around to bail us out?
Canon PowerShot S2 IS, 42mm, f/4.5, 1/100 sec, ISO 50
posted by Bethany at 9:34 AM
29 Comments:
Nice one Timmybomb.
Red can be tricky...fortunately for me, I can shoot RAW so I can correct the vibrancy of red tone in the post processing stage...as for point and shoot, you are at the mercy of the camera's built in settings and Phototshop.
what did they do before Adobe was around to bail us out?
...darkrooms. ;-)
I think you did very well using photoshop in this instance. I like to use adjustment layers to work with variations.
You recently visited my blog and asked who the subject was reading the book. That's my daughter. We spent the day at the beach recently.
This is really very lovely. Nice job.
I don't really know how hard red is to get, perhaps I haven't done that much with it yet. But now you have me wondering. I must find some red to shoot.
I remember reading somewhere on someone's photoblog a long time ago, long before I started one, the phrase "If it's red, shoot it." That phrase has stuck with me, unfortunately I just haven't seen that much red to shoot.
Red is lovely...but hard to capture. True. Orange shades work best for me...(yeah...PP option is sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse too, for one'll think all shots can be made better than what they are. It is an excercise for me to not open my PS for anything more than embedding my signature.)
But this is an awesome capture...the compositionis excellent and what a beautiful pattern....
Hey red is really tough to shoot. I could be wrong but I want to say I had good luck when shading the flower if it is under bright light. I did a rose a long time ago and I remember backing the lights off a ways for the best results. If you are out side on a bright day you might try shading the flower. Again, it's been a while but you could give that a try. You did really good with the processing on this one, that's for sure.
Lovely work, looks true to life to me. Poppies are just lovely flowers. Nice capture!
I've never heard of this red difficulty capture thingy I don't think I've tried capturing red lol : anyways Otto K (lenscape Ottok photography) got some fabulous shots or a rose yhwe would have some advice.
liking the shot, not loving, not because of you or how you tto it the flower just doesn't appeal to me :D
Btw thanksa for honest opinion on me blog : thou shalt not be dissapointed with tomorrows shot methink :)
GREAT SHOT!!!
I think you did a great job bringing out the red and the texture of the petals. Nice details!
WOW I most say Timmybomb, you did well in capturing the detail and texture on this one!
I too have had the same problem capturing red. If you check the red histogram channel for the image, you'll find that its been clipped, even though the blue, green and luminance histograms are still OK! So I usually use a combination of appropriate shading and underexposing the shot. Then use PS to bring back the vibrancy.
You did a great job bringing out the texture. I'll like the center of the flower too. I don't believe I've ever seen the inside of a poppy before.
What a nice shot! I love all the detail at the center.
i like color and composition...plus a great detail:-)
great commpsition - colour is fantastic too -you decided if your gonna get an slr yet??
Gorgeous color composition and detail!
TB,
Only 1/4 of your pixels are devoted to red, but you did well with this. Different monitors show differently. Send Ali a line -- he takes his Economics exam June 2, which has already arrived in UAE.
-bob
excellent macro shot... and I like the angle too... by keeping the center of the flower at the bottom right corner you made this a much more interesting shot than if it was kept in the center. About the red thing I haven't shot anything red yet... next time I do I'll see if its really as difficult to capture as you say
Lovely shot, love the composition...As palak said, having the centre of the flower at the bottom right makes it much much more interesting..The detail at the centre of the flower is lovely too..Want to photograph something red myself now!!
I ahve found too much difficulty in shooting red. Was your white balance correct? Probably you should set it to custome white balance after taking a few red shots. I have a red set at flickr. Check them out at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shuva/sets/1144974/show/
Correction: I meant "I haven't found too much difficulty"...
I could live without camera but not without Photoshop ! ;-)
Good crop and good light. Probably there's a little bit of noise in red zones. Anyway very nice shot, all my compliments ;)
A beautiful macro. Very effective... Really the red is difficult, but this one is a masterpiece...
awesome close-up! love the red..cheers :)
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Very nice shot...i like the way you've cornered the central part of the flower.
It sees to be quite easy to overdo reds with Canon digital. I suggest underexposing slightly, or work in RAW mode to get a better dynamic range. Check your red histogram in PS to see where you stand. Some newer cameras show R G and B histograms (30D), but most show a combined which will not show if you have one color blown out. It seem like Canon's metering is off on reds. I have taken many shots with overdone reds when shooting flowers.
i enjoy the beauty of your image. nice
There is something special about Poppies. I fail every time to capture adequately, whereas this I would be proud of, think I will find some and try again. Thanks.
I indeed have one red flower picture I took at the beginning of spring, and I didn't post because red looked so overexposed under bright sun. I'll find some red and try again..
This is a good close up, the inside looks quite crisp.
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