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Canon DSLR Challenge | all galleries >> CSLR Challenge 80: Bokeh (Host: Sharon Lips) >> Eligible > A Wonderful Scent
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10-NOV-2006 Susan Craig

A Wonderful Scent

Mammoth Lakes

Thanks Kate!


other sizes: small medium original auto
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Canon DSLR Challenge17-Nov-2006 19:12
Don't be flattered, be complimented. Flattery is false praise; I was completely sincere. :) Keep it up!! :) ~ Lonnit
Guest 15-Nov-2006 06:07
Thanks Lonnit!! I am truly flattered by your comments!
Canon DSLR Challenge15-Nov-2006 03:14
This is definitely better than the color version. Even though the lips aren't colored, it's working very well. Actually, coloring the lips, on second thought, might pull away from the bokeh circles. With the healthy flower, it all pulls together nicely and the bokeh bubbles are linked to the woman by thier greyness, helping us to understand that they are scent. Excellent final entry! And, I applaud you for selectively taking apart the critique and sticking to your own heart where you felt it was right - to be true to yourself and your art - yet taking the suggestions you knew were right and fixing them, as in the healing of the flower. You didn't cave on yourself, yet you weren't pig-headed either. That's the perfect attitude and it will take you very far! You couldn't have done a better job of processing constructive criticism. Kudos to you! Congratulations, the image and your attitude have both earned my vote! ~ Lonnit
Canon DSLR Challenge13-Nov-2006 20:24
Much better - excellent job of reviving the rose. :) I really did like the BW with selective coloring better presentation-wise, as here, I am drawn right up to the eyes and get stuck there. Come to think of it, were the eyes even visible in the other? Here, I want to concentrate on the lips and rose, as the story is all about their relationship, but as a human, my eyes always want to find the eyes in a face - the color and highlight in them , along with that nautural urge, make me unable to really appreciate the rose and lips. Can you try to suck the color back out of all else - it was very effective like that and also pulled the bokeh-bubbles into the image as part of the subject - here I'm not even really noticing them much. If that's too much work, then just consider cropping off the eyes and peace is restored in Photoville. :) ~ Lonnit
jnconradie13-Nov-2006 05:52
Brilliant "cleaning up" of the rose. It now looks exactly like that "picture perfect" specimen Lonnit was suggesting. And I think the colouring now works better ... and definitely better than my lip-colouring version! :-) Good stuff! Regards ~jnconradie
Canon DSLR Challenge13-Nov-2006 05:32
Oh yeah...so funny that you thought she was a man. I won't tell her that though. Susan
Guest 13-Nov-2006 05:11
Lonnit, Thank you for expanding my awareness. I am exciting about learning from constructive comments.

This shot was not originally intended for this challenge. My girlfriend and I took a five minute break from work and snapped a few shots. I really liked the bokeh and decided to put the shot in the challenge. I did not like the clash of the lip color with the flower thus the selective desaturation. I also tried using the same lip color as Nico suggested but was not too fond of that. Dah Dah Dah about the scarred rose. ( Good Lesson ).

I have reposted using the original shot with slight levels adjustments. I also cleaned up the rose a little.

I am open for any new suggestions. Thanks again!
Canon DSLR Challenge12-Nov-2006 15:53
Yes, the bokeh is like scent particles rising from the flower - lovely! As for the pink, though, I think it weakens the image. IMO the flower should have been red, for rich impact. The pink feels whimpy and lackluster. I have to agree about the lips matching the flower as well. At first glance I thought this a man, b/c the lips were colorless - in the second glance it became obvious that the lips were indeed feminine (and Kate's, I presume? - thanks Kate!) Also, be careful when you select flowers and produce for photgraphs - they should be picture perfect; the one is terribly scarred. Defective is fine, as long as they are healthy looking specimins. In the last challenge, my dahlia was completely defective in the middle, but that's what gave it it's beautiful interest. This flower would be fine in a different setting for conveying a different message. In this setting, the flower should be fresh and beautiful. But, on the positive side, lovely composition and exceptionally fantastic use of bokeh as part of the subject! ! Lonnit
jnconradie12-Nov-2006 10:30
Hi Susan, I sent you a PBase mail about this one. Regards ~jnconradie
jnconradie11-Nov-2006 17:01
Lovely! But might perhaps have been even better without selective desturation, i.e. bw only, as as been mentioned, a coloured/toned version. Or perhaps it needs the lips and the rose to both be the same colour. ... Thoughts, more than criticism. Regards ~jnconradie
elips11-Nov-2006 07:15
It looks like the bokeh in this is being the scent of the title! I like this with the selective desaturation but I wonder what the color version looked like. Or, perhaps, a pink version! A very nice shot in any case! ~Sharon