Dueling lilies - a different view of Longwood BIG POST

[Gordon Large]

Well, not really, but I had to grab your attention, right. And anyhow Mike Mac was scooping me by getting his pix online first. Had a great time shooting with Mike and look forward to many more shoots with him.

OK, first the excuses. These have all been tweaked in Capture, but I'm in the middle of switching to a more souped-up laptop and can't touch up with PS yet. OK, I'll admit it; that's the only excuse.

In this one, for example, the sign on the left has to go, but without PS I have no way to do it.

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Those of you who are tough critics will notice that I cut off the bottom petal of the flower. I still like the flower and the image, though...


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Finally, two that show off the D2x's amazing resolution -


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More to come..... Gordon

 

[Gale]

They ae VERY beautiful.. Nothing to be ashamed of at allllll.

I should do 1/10th as good.

 

[Gordon Large]

They ae VERY beautiful.. Nothing to be ashamed of at allllll.

I should do 1/10th as good.

Hi Gale -

Thanks for your nice comments. Needless to say I'm not ashamed. Quite the opposite actually. I was just having a little fun with that first paragraph. I'm glad you liked these images, because I have lots more I want to share.

Gordon

 

[Lisa]

Gordon, those are amazing...but that yellow one with the reflection in the water is just stunning! Very, very nice!

 

[Kevin Scott]

Re: Dueling lilies - a different view of Longwood BIG P

Those of you who are tough critics will notice that I cut off the bottom petal of the flower.

50 lashes......

j/k

These are very nice, Gordon. Did you notice on the above referenced photo how crisp and clear the interior of the lily is? Fantastic!!

What lens were you using for these? 200-400?

You should be very proud of these!

 

[mike mac]

Excellent shots all around but like others have said the yellow Lilly is the one I like the most

 

[Gordon Large]

Re: Dueling lilies - a different view of Longwood BIG P

These are very nice, Gordon. Did you notice on the above referenced photo how crisp and clear the interior of the lily is? Fantastic!!

What lens were you using for these? 200-400?

Hi Kevin -

I've noticed the incredible detail and sharpness of the D2x since the day I got it. Is the "above referenced photo" the yellow lily? It's kind of funny that so far nobody has noticed the dragon fly at the top of the flower.

All these shots were taken with the 70-200VR, some of them with the TC17 as well. IMO this lens and combo are perfect for water lily shots. You will see in a later post that the lens, sometimes with extention tubes, is perfect for smaller flowers.

Gordon

 

[Flew]

Gordon,

These are some of the best images that I've seen from your new D2X. Apparently you are getting it figured out. :wink:

While I agree that cropping in PS would help the composition of several of them, basically they are all great captures. You should be very happy and proud.

The only very minor nit that I have is that a couple of them have a touch too much USM for my tastes (most are fine). Still doesn't detract from the quality of the original captures, but in most cases, the images are very sharp right out of the cam, so they don't need much sharpening.

Overall though, these are excellent. Good job. 8)

 

[Kevin Scott]

Re: Dueling lilies - a different view of Longwood BIG P

Is the "above referenced photo" the yellow lily?

No, actually I was referring to the chopped-off-petal white lily. Those purple noodle things look really clear. Sorry, I'm not a flower expert and don't know their proper names!

 

[Gordon Large]

Re: Dueling lilies - a different view of Longwood BIG P

Those purple noodle things look really clear. Sorry, I'm not a flower expert and don't know their proper names!

Purple noodle things. I love it. :lol: I'm not far ahead of you. They are either pistols or stamens, but I have idea which. Maybe someone will tell us.

Gordon

 

[Gordon Large]

While I agree that cropping in PS would help the composition of several of them

The only very minor nit that I have is that a couple of them have a touch too much USM for my tastes (most are fine).

Frank -

Thanks for the nice comments! Yup, I am learning how to use the D2x's capabilities, but I've still go a long way to go, especially in exposure. After all, flowers just sit there. Take a shot. Look at the blinkies. Look at the histogram. Figure out what you think should be done. Then do it. Repeat as necessary. So far I haven't found many birds that will do that. :wink:

You could really help if you could tell me which images seem oversharpened to you. Also which images would improve with better cropping, what the cropping should be, and why. I did crop in Capture to get images that looked good to me, but it would be really great to learn what you would have done. I think others would benefit from this too. Keep any comments brief though. I don't want you to spend a lot of time on this.

Thanks,
Gordon

 

[Gordon Large]

Lisa and Mike -

Thanks for the nice comments! Sorry I didn't get back to you individually, but neither of you had any specific comments or questions that needed an individual response.

Gordon

 

[FlyingFlowers]

Gordon all I can say is these are fantastic. I think the purple noodles are stamens.

 

[Gordon Large]

I think the purple noodles are stamens.

Hi Cindy -

Thanks for your compliment about my flower shots. And also thanks for your ID of the purple noodles. Even though I now know what they are, I suspect I'll always think of them as purple noodles. Too funny. :lol:

Gordon

 

[mrtac2man]

Dang you guys and your D2x's... looks like its going to be an expensive X mas this year....

 

[Gordon Large]

Dang you guys and your D2x's... looks like its going to be an expensive X mas this year....

Sorry about that. But you will be one happy camper if Santa leaves one of these under your tree....

Gordon

 

[CrystallP]

Hi Gordon,

Your images are fantastic! It is also very spooky. I feel as though we were the same day. I have several shots that are similar to yours, but not on the same caliber. I was using the 70-200VR, but I didn't have a teleconverter at the time.

Anyway, I especially enjoyed the purple noodle water lily. I haven't finished processing those yet. I probably won't get back to Longwood unitl September. I am going to check out Brookside Gardens soon. They currently have a live butterfly exhibit in one of the conservatories.

 

[CrystallP]

Sorry about that. But you will be one happy camper if Santa leaves one of these under your tree....

Gordon

Ouch, don't say that! I just picked up the TC17E and a 12-24DX. I don't think my poor budget (or plastic) could take another hit this year... :twisted: Not true, now that I have my 12-24, its time to ditch the 17-55 and get a...BEAST! :twisted: :twisted: The D2X will have to wait a little longer.

 

[Gordon Large]

I haven't finished processing those yet. I probably won't get back to Longwood unitl September. I am going to check out Brookside Gardens soon. They currently have a live butterfly exhibit in one of the conservatories.

Thanks Crystall. As you can tell, Longwood is one of my favorite places. Sounds like you now have a teleconverter, which is great for the lilies and other outdoors flowers. Get some Kenko extension tubes too. They give you macro capability, and are super for closeups both indoors and outdoors. I look forward to posts of your Longwood and Brookside shots.

Gordon