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Janet NY

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I respectfully submit my first FCAS submission. It was a learning experience, at times flustrating but extremely rewarding. I have learned much about PS work with this endeavor! OK, lets have at it...
Original:



I have to apologise for not having a photo of my set up but I'll explain it to you and then you may understand why.
Black FCB, hand held behind flower.
Aluminum foil for reflector to bounce light to underside of flower
(laid across weeds strategically)
Tripod and
manual pressing of shutter button

(I'm not very dexterous with my toes so I couldn't hold everything up while photographing it)

My work flow is as follows:
adjust in levels
adjust in brightness/contrast
Magic wand for background
Lasso tool and paint bucket for background
(to keep paint from bleeding into dark flower area)
resize
sharpen
canvas (to increase space on left side to bring flower into center of frame)
paint bucket (for added background)
crop
Canvas & paint bucket: for small line of color in frame
canvas & paint bucket: for black frame

TA-DAAAA!



Even if I don't get the honors of belonging to this elusive club I had a great time learning!

--
Janet K. NY
Cats #30
(I AM almost bald from pulling my hair out in flustration though!)
 
OMG! I was so excited about finally posting a submission that I forgot to put all the information in!! LOL
Here it is:

Nikon CP8700
Focal length: 67.7
Manual exposure
Metering mode: spot
1/30 sec. F7.4
Auto sensitivity
AF mode
tone composition: normal
Zoom ratio: 1.00
Saturation comp. 0
Sharpening: normal
Noise Reduction: off
Respectfully,
Janet NY said:
--
Janet K. NY
Cats #30
(Norvous??? Not ME!)
Click to expand...
--
Janet K. NY
 
Absolutely beautiful. You really brought out those great colors in the post processing. Good luck with the committe. I think you have a winner here.
--


One should never 'take' a photo but rather make one.....the only thing you should take is your time.

CP5700, MB-E5700, Sunpak 383 Super, Nikon 4T, Manfrotto 3021 legs + 3047 Head

http://dlangdon.fotopic.net

FCAS Member #104
 
Hi Janet! Thank you for your FCAS application. After members have offered their comments, I'll give you the Committee's decision.

--
Dawn
FCAS Member #89

With camera in hand, I see what I might otherwise overlook

C P 5 7 0 0
pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/dlane/
 
over this. It took me two days to finish it and I had to quickly submit before I lost my nerve. I was lucky to find such a bold, flashy flower! I made myself stay offline for a while and went out in the rain to take pictures but I just couldn't stay away!
Darren Langdon said:
Absolutely beautiful. You really brought out those great colors in
the post processing. Good luck with the committe. I think you have
a winner here.
--
One should never 'take' a photo but rather make one.....the only
thing you should take is your time.

CP5700, MB-E5700, Sunpak 383 Super, Nikon 4T, Manfrotto 3021 legs +
3047 Head

http://dlangdon.fotopic.net

FCAS Member #104
Click to expand...
--
Janet K. NY
 
I like the way the stem takes you up then down to the flower and then back up with the petals. Nice perspective.

Troutman
Janet NY said:
I respectfully submit my first FCAS submission. It was a learning
experience, at times flustrating but extremely rewarding. I have
learned much about PS work with this endeavor! OK, lets have at
it...
Original:



I have to apologise for not having a photo of my set up but I'll
explain it to you and then you may understand why.
Black FCB, hand held behind flower.
Aluminum foil for reflector to bounce light to underside of flower
(laid across weeds strategically)
Tripod and
manual pressing of shutter button
(I'm not very dexterous with my toes so I couldn't hold everything
up while photographing it)

My work flow is as follows:
adjust in levels
adjust in brightness/contrast
Magic wand for background
Lasso tool and paint bucket for background
(to keep paint from bleeding into dark flower area)
resize
sharpen
canvas (to increase space on left side to bring flower into center
of frame)
paint bucket (for added background)
crop
Canvas & paint bucket: for small line of color in frame
canvas & paint bucket: for black frame

TA-DAAAA!



Even if I don't get the honors of belonging to this elusive club I
had a great time learning!

--
Janet K. NY
Cats #30
(I AM almost bald from pulling my hair out in flustration though!)
Click to expand...
 
I must say that this is one of my favorite FCAS attempt ever, I absolutely love those vibrant colors and the subject is perfectly suited to that treatment. However, there is obvious jpeg compression artifacting around the perimeter of the subject which i am sure the committee will nail you for :

I do hope that you have another version of this shot to process in the same manner in case that mean ol' committee declines this one.
--
Mike Slone
FCAS member #84
CATS member > ^..^

It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.

Gallery under construction, advice welcome:
http://www.pbase.com/mike_slone
 
Hi, Janet! I'm delighted to see you've applied for FCAS membership! I know you're still working on your editing skills, but you're a fast study, and I must say this composition is a knock-out. The Committee puts a lot of weight on "wow" factor, and has been known to let a gorgeous image distract them from their pixel-by-pixel investigations. If so, you have a great chance with this submission.

Btw, great idea using a reflector to brighten the underside of that blossom :-).

--
Warm regards, Uncle Frank,
FCAS Charter Member, Hummingbird Hunter, Egret Stalker
Dilettante Appassionato
Coolpix Gallery at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank/coolpix
D-Seventy Gallery at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank/d70
 
Janet NY said:
I respectfully submit my first FCAS submission.
Click to expand...
Janet-

I love this composition. As someone noted, the rising then falling stem with the subsequent falling and rising bloom is way cool. Great specimen! The lighting from below (clever field work!) really makes this a beautiful display. I can't see the compression ringing and I would "hang this on my wall." Very few make it on the first try, but you have as good a chace as any I've seen. I vote yes.
Good luck with the committee,
--
Doug Kessler
CP 5700
FCAS Member
CATS Member > ^..^
http://www.pbase.com/dougkess/
 
Thank you Lucy. I knew I had to try to show off the wonderful spots! This is such a showy flower you almost couldn't take a bad picture of it!
Lucy said:
....I think you've done a fabulous job here, Janet....the finished
image is stunning! Wish you luck with the committee!
--
Lucy
UZI owner!
Olympus C3020Z
http://www.pbase.com/lucy
FCAS Member #98
'Photography is the art of seeing what others do not.'
Click to expand...
--
Janet K. NY
 
Thank you Troutman. These were growing in some brush along the road and they grow hanging upside down. I tried getting some shots of them last year and had mentally marked the spot to try them with the digital camera. As soon as I pulled over and started setting up an old farmer and his wife pulled up and he said "I don't want you pickin' 'em!" No sir, I said. The only thing I'll take away from here is pictures! LOL They have a guardian!
MDTROUT said:
I like the way the stem takes you up then down to the flower and
then back up with the petals. Nice perspective.

Troutman
Click to expand...
--
Janet K. NY
 
Thanks so much Mike. That means a lot to me! I was afraid that the background would give me some trouble! I took plenty of pictures of them and if need be I can still go back for a day or so yet and try again!
(hope I have enough hair to pull! I'll have to switch to biting nails.)
mike slone said:
I must say that this is one of my favorite FCAS attempt ever, I
absolutely love those vibrant colors and the subject is perfectly
suited to that treatment. However, there is obvious jpeg
compression artifacting around the perimeter of the subject which i
am sure the committee will nail you for : I do hope that you have another version of this shot to process in
the same manner in case that mean ol' committee declines this one.
--
Mike Slone
FCAS member #84
CATS member > ^..^

It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if
you live near him.

Gallery under construction, advice welcome:
http://www.pbase.com/mike_slone
Click to expand...
--
Janet K. NY
 
Uncle Frank said:
Btw, great idea using a reflector to brighten the underside of that
blossom :-).
Click to expand...
LOL It was, wasn't it? Thank you for pointing me in the right direction! I tried using white FCB to bounce the light but it didn't seem like it was enough so I pulled out the good old Renolds Wrap! (not just for cooking anymore!)

This has been the most fun, flustrating, learning experience! Thanks to all for all the kind words and encouragement!
Uncle Frank said:
Hi, Janet! I'm delighted to see you've applied for FCAS
membership! I know you're still working on your editing skills,
but you're a fast study, and I must say this composition is a
knock-out. The Committee puts a lot of weight on "wow" factor, and
has been known to let a gorgeous image distract them from their
pixel-by-pixel investigations. If so, you have a great chance with
this submission.

Btw, great idea using a reflector to brighten the underside of that
blossom :-).

--
Warm regards, Uncle Frank,
FCAS Charter Member, Hummingbird Hunter, Egret Stalker
Dilettante Appassionato
Coolpix Gallery at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank/coolpix
D-Seventy Gallery at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank/d70
Click to expand...
--
Janet K. NY
 
Thank you Doug. Honestly, I think it would be hard to take a bad shot of this flower.

Truth be told, I was petrified to submit anything! I spent hours in PS trying to do this shot justice. There was a lot of blue air around the computer until I got it figured out!
DougKessler said:
Janet NY said:
I respectfully submit my first FCAS submission.
Click to expand...
Janet-
I love this composition. As someone noted, the rising then falling
stem with the subsequent falling and rising bloom is way cool.
Great specimen! The lighting from below (clever field work!)
really makes this a beautiful display. I can't see the compression
ringing and I would "hang this on my wall." Very few make it on
the first try, but you have as good a chace as any I've seen. I
vote yes.
Good luck with the committee,
--
Doug Kessler
CP 5700
FCAS Member
CATS Member > ^..^
http://www.pbase.com/dougkess/
Click to expand...
--
Janet K. NY
 
Hi Janet – your lily bloom is obviously at the peak of its summer beauty, and it’s really strutting its stuff here for the Committee. While it possesses charm enough thanks to Mother Nature, it owes you a debt of gratitude for really bringing out its true colors.

The difference between the unedited and final images is striking, demonstrating what a steady hand at the Photoshop controls can accomplish. You’ve finished the image so that the natural appeal of your subject is optimized, but you haven’t applied any excessive adjustments. Those on the Committee who wear reading glasses put them on, leaned into the screen, and inspected your background processing closely, looking for lost or stray pixels but could find nothing out of sorts. The edge detail present in your original image appears unaffected in your final image, but beautifully featured against a flawless black background.

The collection of primary colors featured in your image conjures visions of a new box of crayons. The subtly illuminated petals and filaments of your bloom have benefited from your creative use of aluminum foil as a reflector. The canvas expansion you applied allowed the graceful arch of the stem and the gentle bow of the bloom to be beautifully featured in your frame. And speaking of frames, Janet – many saw your pleas for help making a frame today. It appears you worked through the challenge, as your choice of a simple but elegant ribbon of color around your canvas is all this lily needed to wrap up the package.

Janet, you’ll be pleased to know that the Committee has unanimously elected you to be our 109th member, and we'd be very proud if you elect to append "FCAS Member" to your signature.

As an FCBU alumnus, we hope you’ll eagerly share your knowledge and expertise by offering a bit of critical feedback and darkroom tips to students of FCBology. ;-)

--
Dawn
FCAS Member #89

With camera in hand, I see what I might otherwise overlook

C P 5 7 0 0
pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/dlane/
 
thruthelens said:
Janet, you’ll be pleased to know that the Committee has unanimously
elected you to be our 109th member, and we'd be very proud if you
elect to append "FCAS Member" to your signature.
Click to expand...
Dang! I only had 107 recorded before Janet :- . So who's missing? Or are you double counting me?

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wnor

--
Warm regards, Uncle Frank,
FCAS Charter Member, Hummingbird Hunter, Egret Stalker
Dilettante Appassionato
Coolpix Gallery at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank/coolpix
D-Seventy Gallery at http://www.pbase.com/unclefrank/d70
 
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