[Boofers]

Like impressions, tear me up please, or just say OK. Thanks
[IMG][/IMG]

[Dave Canon]

Well I will comment because I have done something similar. It does look striking but I am not keen on the brown/yellow background. The picture I produced similar to this, I have never used in a competition. The general attitude by competition judges now is that, if you cannot see the effects of photoshop great but, if you can, there needs to be a purpose. So you can do outrageous things but only if it adds value. In this case you need to consider whether this is an interesting exercise or have you added real value to your original photograph. Sadly I feel it is the former this time but that should not put you off experimenting.

[fionaB]

i dont mind the background...... its rather nice., its the actual flower i have a problem with. the middle doesnt look natural and the whole image has that "cut out" look to it, perhaps feathering when doing the selection would have lessened that.

nice idea tho!

Fi

[nichpr]

Agree with Dave. PS, when done well can be effective but should not be the first thing you notice. Kind of like makeup - if a woman (this from man's perspective) does it well, we admire her beauty. Done poorly and all we see is the makeup.

Now, that said, there are times when the photo in question just doesn't work as is. A case can be made to dramatically alter the photo to the point that it is clearly an unnatural representation of what was shot, in an effort to create something worthwhile. This is, perhaps, what Dave meant when he said if you can see the effects of PS there needs to be a clear purpose.

An example of that is a recent post of mine on this forum entitled Sensuous Lines and Colors. The original shot was uninspiring at best and was headed to the trash bin. In an effort to salvage something from it, I played a bit with curves and created something totally unnatural and clearly Photoshopped. The shot received very positive comments.

Creating the unnatural makes people uncomfortable - their reaction is unpredictable. So, it is a path you tread with significant inherent risk.

Where there is risk, there is also reward. So, keep experimenting and keep posting.

- Paul

[skipper954]

Well said, Paul.

[Boofers]

Thanks for all the comments,
I was playing with my old Olympus point and shoot, and used the bracketing to shoot 3 shots and try out some hdr's with it. Fi's comments are good because the center of the flower is about the only thing that's left with any hdr in it. The leaves were all moldy, and full of detail and looked ugly, but the center waas what got me, the blue looks bad even in a single shot. I try to take a picture of this blue flower ever year. At least my old camera got a work out and I will refocus an effort to save my flower from the ugly background,,thanks again for your in depth comments..