Dahlia: Taken with the lensbaby velvet 56 It looks better on 500px if you care to look at that upload.

Nightski

Taken with the lensbaby velvet 56
It looks better on 500px if you care to look at that upload.
http://500px.com/photo/219002983/dalia-by-sandra-nightski?current_page=4744076271980380160ACYABc7lVxoc784A&from=following&user_id=5883322

(Download)

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Beautifully soft.

Nightski

R.G. wrote:

Beautifully soft.

Thank you, R.G.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Very pretty. I think the little bud is a distraction from the main show. The colors and softness of this flower are beautiful.

Nightski

Country's Mama wrote:

Very pretty. I think the little bud is a distraction from the main show. The colors and softness of this flower are beautiful.

I was waffling on that. I couldn't get the shot without sniping the bud off. I didn't want to crop. But .. my dahlias are just starting to bloom so I'll have lots more subjects. The other thing I wish, was that I had gotten those center tips sharp. They aren't quite there.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Nightski wrote:

I was waffling on that. I couldn't get the shot without sniping the bud off. I didn't want to crop. But .. my dahlias are just starting to bloom so I'll have lots more subjects. The other thing I wish, was that I had gotten those center tips sharp. They aren't quite there.

I will be watching for the next one. :) Soft petals or not this one is very pretty.

winterrose Loc: Kyneton, Victoria, Australia

Nightski wrote:

Taken with the lensbaby velvet 56
It looks better on 500px if you care to look at that upload.
http://500px.com/photo/219002983/dalia-by-sandra-nightski?current_page=4744076271980380160ACYABc7lVxoc784A&from=following&user_id=5883322

What was the aperture setting for this one please Sandra?

Nightski

winterrose wrote:

What was the aperture setting for this one please Sandra?

Honestly I don't remember. It's the Lensbaby Velvet 56. It has the manual aperture and my camera doesn't talk to this lens .. or maybe the other way around. I experimented with different apertures that night as well as using different focal lengths to achieve the amount of blur I wanted.

winterrose Loc: Kyneton, Victoria, Australia

Nightski wrote:

Honestly I don't remember. It's the Lensbaby Velvet 56. It has the manual aperture and my camera doesn't talk to this lens .. or maybe the other way around. I experimented with different apertures that night as well as using different focal lengths to achieve the amount of blur I wanted.

Those little lenses can be quite exasperating to use and in this shot it certainly looks like you are getting to know their quirks. I am sure that I don't need to say that they get sharper especially in the center as you stop down but as you do, that gorgeous bokeh begins to fall away. I suggest that you do some "cold" testing, meaning that you don't worry too much about perfect composition, in an effort to get the handle on the best compromise. Put me on the list for the bud being a small distraction. Consider placing a cut flower "posed" to attain a more controllable background. These lenses can produce beautiful results, but only for certain types of subject. Enjoy, Rob.

chapjohn Loc: Tigard, Oregon

With the bud the image would lose a lot of flavor of being there. Velvet 56 produces a look that can not be done with any other lens. I would also add that it is impossible to have enough images of dahlias.

CSand Loc: Fayetteville, Georgia

Sandra, this is beautiful. I believe I like the whisper of the bud. One of the things I so appreciate about similar Lensbaby shots is the hint of the environment of the bloom. Makes it magic.

Nightski

Thank you all for your thoughts ... John .. I agree .. never enough shots of dahlias. They are gorgeous. I have some purple ones coming.