Chicago Sunflower

[PhoebeG]

Thoughts and suggestions on this image would be appreciated. I like it myself, but don't really know why.

Thanks,

Phil G.

[CaraRose]

I like it a lot, but I'm a bit biased when it comes to that skyline

[starriderrick]

I've never seen anything like this...The light is great,Amazing DOF. An original...I like it!

Rick

[Lang]

To me that opens up a whole new way of looking at things, first class, please don't think I'm rude, did you set out to do this or did it appear. It is very good.

[PhoebeG]

Probably should have indicated in my original post that this is a composite of two photos taken at different times and locations.

I didn't realy set out to make this image. I shoot a lot of flowers and I took this sunflower in my "studio". While it was technically good (lighting, focus, etc.), it seemed boring. So my though was to give the flower some "context". I actually tried 4 or 5 different backgrounds, but the Chicago skyline was the first one I picked, and I like it the best out of the others I tried.

Thanks for the comments.

Phil G.

[Lang]

That's fine, it still opens to me a new way of looking at making an image ( the only thing I have is that the image should be as 'the eye sees", not as the manipulation presents). DOF may well be a hurdle.. in what you've caused me to think.. ( I really do like the warts and all straight out of the camera, sort of like a person, you don't want them tarted up for your approval ).

[Frog]

I rather figured it was a photoshop job but wanted to read the responses it got as having no experience with such things, thought I'd learn a bit.
The sunflower, itself, is quite amazing and I'm wondering what you did to it to make it look so perfect.

I wonder what size f/stop it would take to get that dof? f/250?

Whatever, its a nice image.

[LeeIs]

Nice idea, i don't see any problems with it. The only thing is that i I feel it takes too much of the frame.

[PhoebeG]

I don't recall the F stop, probably around 32. Using a macro lens on a tripod. I unsharpened it a bit in PE. I think the reason that it looks so good is that the background is not as quite sharp. I'm not sure, but I know that the sunflower looks much better with the background than without. Good question.

Phil

[Asmarlak]

I thought its a Photoshop composition as soon as I saw it. Photographically its impossible to get both subjects this sharp, one thats very close (almost touching the camera) and another thats a mile away no matter what camera settings you use.

[GB1]

Probably should have indicated in my original post that this is a composite of two photos taken at different times and locations.

Phil G.

That's the first thing that I said to myself when I saw it. Still a very nice composition. It looks like pop art to an extent. I would give it a tad more background (expand the height), perhaps showing a little closer view of the city.

Great work !!

G

[gahspidy]

Phoebe, I like the result of your composite. I agree with having the flower a bit smaller in the frame so more city skyline appears, but then again the lighting and detail on the flower is a real treat so I would not want to lose much of it..
Very nicely done, its a beautiful image in the end.

[jetrim]

This is really nice work Phil. You've done a great job with both images and blending them together as well!

[Shebang]

Very cool!

[lc1987h]

Sort of incompatible, but really impressive! Thank you for sharing!

[PhoebeG]

A couple have suggested that a little more skyline might look better so I re-edited and have posted the revised edition. I also flipped the sunflower so that the shadow side was on the same side as the skyline shadow.

I'm pretty happpy with this and think I'm going to enter it in a local contest.

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

Phil G.

[GB1]

I like the revision. The sunflower looks clearer.

I think the sunflower would go best with a different scene myself .. NOT that the city background is bad, but I would try another variation on this ... Perhaps an orange and lemon farm or a solar power or windmill farm back there, in more of a square or vertical formatted photo. Maybe a few hippies back there too, sun shining in the sky, etc etc. This sunflower is just so reusable in so many possible scenes !

G

[PhoebeG]

LOL (really)! I need to find me some hippies. Maybe an old picture of me.

I was thinking the same thing about re-using it. In fact this is the 4-5th background I tried (old barn, blue sky w/clouds, etc). Yea, I think something along "green" lines would probably work well.

I still like the city, and as I originally posted, I'm not sure why. It's really not relavent or ironic. Maybe just the colors....yea the colors.

Thanks,

Phil G.