Wild Spring Flowers


Posted by steve mackay on Tue Apr 08, 2014 8:25 pm

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.....This pic with the text may be too much to add to the macro section?, so please relocate if it's too much?

Haven't been able to go too far recently, so I have started a new project of trying to record as many of the local wild plants that are emerging now spring is here....and trying to sort of make it look like it's from a textbook/ID book.

All these plants have been taken by me from the wild (on the same day) and brought home to focus stack against a pale bg (piece of white paper...even though the end result isn't pure white)......I think this OK because they are such abundance now and I reckon taken a single flower (two and three for the Cowslip and Primrose) won't damage the whole plant (what do you think?).......the Snake's Head Fritillary is a cultivated version from my garden...I have never seen one in the wild and believe they are pretty rare?, so wouldn't steal one just to make a pic.

I've done some cheating with resizing and removal of leaves for some of the plants, just to get them all in/fill up the frame (the Cowslip should be bigger, the Wood Anemone a bit smaller)......I've also elongated the Wood Anemones stalk (the leaves would be coming out about a third of the way up).

Again, move if this is too much with the text, thanks for looking, cheers!

5DII, Tamron 180, helicon focus 6, white paper bg, reflectors, natural light.........by the way, Helicon Focus 6 is like a turbo version of all previous Helicon focus programmes!, best and quickest by far!.
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by Tom Whelan on Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:40 pm
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Looks beautiful to me - best of luck with this project.
I think the rule is that composites like this are OK if they do not exceed the size limits. And your post is very much in the spirit of Flora/Macro, even it it's not a single image. For a field guide, you'd want to show foliage as well.
Tom

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by Dmitri Pavlov on Tue Apr 08, 2014 11:42 pm
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Great composite, very stylish! Has to look great full-size and printed. I would definitely like to see more :)
 

by Matthew Pugh on Wed Apr 09, 2014 1:59 am
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Hi

A lovely compilation of floral images that has been arranged nicely and certainly works exceedingly well imo.

Regarding picking wild flowers, I believe you are fine as long as you don’t uproot any plants, which would be illegal. Also you are quite correct in that picking a rare flower like the snake’s head that are protected by law is also illegal. But like yourself I have never seen one growing wild, so legality wise it is really just about knowing what is protected and hence should not be harmed.

Upon another note – I think this would make an exciting project and look forward to seeing your next example

All the best
Matthew
 

by Carol Clarke on Wed Apr 09, 2014 4:24 am
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I love this Steve! I think you have illustrated a beautiful reference work which IMHO more than deserves its place here.  

Each point you have covered shows your respect and care for the species you have photographed, which is something I have come to expect from you - and I applaud your ethics and talents.  Well done in every respect.  8)
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by wtracyparnell on Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:57 am
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Excellent idea beautifully executed Steve.
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by D7avid on Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:22 am
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This is wonderful Steve.Looks like a great book could be in the offing.Hey JK Rowling started small
 

by Mark Picard on Wed Apr 09, 2014 1:16 pm
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I'm going to differ here with all of the other posters - I don't believe in picking the flowers for a project like this! I mean, you basically destroyed that particular flower just for a photograph and that is one less that would have been pollinated naturally.  You certainly could have photographed each flower on location using the same techniques you used to create these images. A big white poster board could have been your backdrop,  or you could shoot the flowers on location and make a layer mask of the flowers, then put that layer on a white background with text.

I think the idea is well done Steve, but I think I would've chosen a different method to achieve the final result.
Mark Picard
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by andre paul on Thu Apr 10, 2014 8:00 am
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excelent technique coming from you , as usual.

and also very interesting!


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by steve mackay on Thu Apr 10, 2014 2:43 pm
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Thanks for comments all, very much appreciated!

Just to set the record straight, absolutely no law breaking has occurred here!

@Mark thanks for your comments, absolutely fair enough, you are right......but in my defence, all the main plants in the pics are still alive, still flowering (all have multiple flowering heads per plant/Rhizomes for the wood anemone, the snakes head in the pic is not wild, not so sure for the Bluebell?, they are in huge abundance, but will have to check how many flowering heads each bulb can create?) and will be back next year......what I've taken from the wild is the equivalent of a needle in a million haystacks..........but I respect your words, because in this instance it's impossible to disagree that leaving them completely alone is best........I just hope my liberty taking is pretty small in the grand scheme of things!?.
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by Eia on Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:51 pm
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I have viewed this a number of times. I sure don't want this to sound the wrong way but it reminds me of something elegant in older times.... wallpaper, handwritten notes in a book, a quilt, etc. Really like this!
~AnnaMaria~
 

by steve mackay on Fri Apr 11, 2014 5:26 pm
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Thanks AnnaMaria...your thoughts are exactly what I was trying to do, many cheers! :)
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