June Image - Psychedelic Lotus

How I did it -

COMMENTS:
 

Nancy's post-comment space	June 25th - Thanks for your all your comments on this month's image.  I can't disagree with any of them.  The comment about grain or noise reminded me, however, that I'd forgotten that I posterized the image to produce that grain. It seemed like a good idea at the time but I agree that it might be better without it.  In spite of its many deficiencies it has been my most successful image in international salons.  Nevertheless, if I still had a workable image, I would probably try to adjust a few things in line with your comments.
Jim Hawkins	You say this is a happy accident and (no doubt) it was beginner's luck but *you* had to have the eye even then to see it as a competition image! As you can no longer replicate your procedure and results, there is no point in pointing out weaknesses to be avoided. The main thing is that it has the important attributes for a winning EID Creative Image: tremendous impact, great color, and sound composition. I remember it from the last PSA Exhibition. Lucky or not, nice job!
Frank Crommelin	Very nice image, I love the colors and it has great flowing lines but the noise/grain just grabs my eye and takes so much away from the image.
Elli Kraizberg	Playing with curves always generates random results which depends also on the level of resolution of the image. The outcome of your piece is obviously fascinating . I personally prefer to have more control on the outcome so to obtain this kind of results I prefer the use of combination of mask (difference or overlay) and hue and saturation.. Also two identical layers when one is negative of the other and then choice of opacity.
Ian Ledgard	What fun you can have playing with curves; something I find hard to resist. Sometimes you end up with a fine image as you have done in this case. Because you have gone psychedelic I thing you should have added a boldly coloured frame to set off the effect. Haven't I see this in a recent International - Suncoast perhaps. I would also have voted for it if I had been on the panel.
Stephan Funke	A good example of early trials with interesting details in colorizing and composition. We have a kind of diagonal line and a certain fixed point from where all starts which is out of the middle. (composition). And we have the blue and yellow confrontation. (Complementary colors) I was missing the green / magenta confrontation (instead of orange). The whole thing is a little bit caged. Flowers in nature need space around to move in the wind, this one does not have.
Andrés Canepa	This is one of those images that I think, the original is better. The framing is good, and you get color equilibrium and light balance. In personal, lost de background defocusing and the lens bouquet flat the image.

Nancy Parker - Biography I am a retired university professor.  I currently volunteer one day a week in research at the Missouri Botanical Garden on “The Flora of Missouri” project.  I have taken pictures casually since I got my first Brownie Hawkeye camera when I was about 12.  I got my first 35 mm camera, a Canon AE1, about 40 years ago.  I shot kids, grandkids, and mostly nature for years and was “official” field and lab photographer for a large botany group at the university, shooting slides.  I joined the St. Louis Camera Club in 2002 and PSA in 2006.   Within the past five years I have discovered Photoshop and, continuing my march through the Canon EOS series,  moved to digital with the 30D.  I still like to shoot nature but I now shoot a variety of subjects and LOVE playing in Photoshop, although I am still a novice.