Lillies

[Chunk]

I 'd like your reaction to this. It's a full size section out of a larger picture. Other than using the clone stamp to fix a couple background problems it's unretouched.

[gahspidy]

Chunk, I'm not feeling what it is you might be feeling from this image. This may be one of those things where you have more insight into this image being it came from a part of a larger one that you are familiar with. It may be that connection that brings something more to this image for you than it may to me having no other relation to this other than my impression of it as it is. I would be curious to see the image in whole that this came from, perhaps a different crop of this including more from the entire image. But as this stands now, it does not strike me in any positive way. Just my take

[Chunk]

Chunk, I'm not feeling what it is you might be feeling from this image. This may be one of those things where you have more insight into this image being it came from a part of a larger one that you are familiar with. It may be that connection that brings something more to this image for you than it may to me having no other relation to this other than my impression of it as it is. I would be curious to see the image in whole that this came from, perhaps a different crop of this including more from the entire image. But as this stands now, it does not strike me in any positive way. Just my take

Thanks Gary, that's just the kind of answer I needed, I think. I took this a year or so ago. When I saw the lillies obscured by the window and screen they seemed almost like an impressionist painting, especially when contrasted with their utilitarian setting. When I looked at the complete picture later, I no longer got that feeling so I just figured it was a bust. I didn't think the flowers were a strong enough element of the whole.
Last night I was looking back through some old stuff and when I saw this and cropped to just the flowers, I again had some of that feeling, but wondered how much of it was coming out of my own mind and remembered experience.
Thanks for the favor of looking and commenting honestly. Here's the original shot.

[natefromri]

Chunk:

I actually like the original photo better than the cropped version, which does nothing for me. But seeing the original version gives me a sense of a lot of man-made elements created (brick shelter, windows, etc) just to keep those flowers alive in what appears to be a harsh outside environment.

Not exactly a best shot probably, but in the way in which I saw it, there is at least some value in it to me. The cropped version does nothing for me though.

--Nate

[Flight]

I 'd like your reaction to this. It's a full size section out of a larger picture. Other than using the clone stamp to fix a couple background problems it's unretouched.

Dark, grainy, and you can tell where you used the clone stamp (lower right near vase).

[gahspidy]

Ahh, I see where your idea has come from , and understand it much better now. I also like this full version much more. I feel as another expressed that the flowers seem like a soft and subtle hint of life and beauty evident amongst the hard reality of the concrete and A/C units. How about b&w with a soft inclusion of color left on the flowers and vase It looks like a two worlds in one type scene, sort of thing that Tuna likes to capture, and I wonder what his feelings on this image would be.
Glad you gave us a look at the full inage, I like it.

[Overbeyond]

hello Chunk
It looks so much like a plant that is drowning, lying at the bottom of a pool. Thats how I see this one. Had you asked us to guess how it was taken that would have been my guess.
Tom

[Chunk]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. Here's a shot at the suggested desaturation. I think I'll print this and see how it looks on paper. Full size looks a bit better than this version for posting. Thanks for the suggestion Gary.

[gahspidy]

Chunk, looks promising,, but just two points; Seems you have straightened the edited image. You have the upper horizontal line of the window straight with the frame but the vertical is off. The window appears to be slanted towrds right. Personally, I feel the original version looks fine and straight as the vertical is a stronger factor. See if you can desaturate or remove the color on the screen around the vase and flowers. I think only the flowers and the vase should have a very subtle color, maybe even less so than that.

[Chunk]

Chunk, looks promising,, but just two points; Seems you have straightened the edited image. You have the upper horizontal line of the window straight with the frame but the vertical is off. The window appears to be slanted towrds right. Personally, I feel the original version looks fine and straight as the vertical is a stronger factor. See if you can desaturate or remove the color on the screen around the vase and flowers. I think only the flowers and the vase should have a very subtle color, maybe even less so than that.

Thanks again, Gary. You make sense on this.

[Tuna]

It looks like a two worlds in one type scene, sort of thing that Tuna likes to capture, and I wonder what his feelings on this image would be.

Chunk - I kind of liked the original post when I first saw that. A little bit of mystery becoming apparent as we see the flowers - the distraction being a reflection isn't apparent until we zoom out to the original.

It looks like, with some advice from Gary, you've arrived at a striking image with the original. Nicely seen with the dreamy flower pot inside and the stark machines and wall outside. I prefer the next to last one for tonal contrast. Straightening these kind of lines caused by shooting at an angle is tricky. I've always had best luck in the "Skew" correction in the Transform command.

Tuna

[Chunk]

Thanks, Tuna. What you think is always of interest to me. I've been learning quite a bit from folks here as I migrate over to PS from other editing programs, I hope you all keep teaching me.