Sunday, May 7, 2017

Desert Birt of Paradise

Desert Bird of Paradise

I think this is called Desert Bird of Paradise, but has other names as well. It is often difficult to capture the details of this delicate, lacy, 'busy' bloom. Shooting into the sun at sunset with the sun just out of the frame, and using the cloudy sky as a plain backdrop worked well to show off this unusual flower.


(Had a few questions about taking this photo, so if anyone is interested...... Years ago this would have been an HDR shot, but not now. I always shoot in raw, bracket my shots, then choose the one that best captures adequate detail in the shadows without blowing out the highlights in the sky. Then usually, adjusting the 'highlight', 'white' and 'shadow' sliders in LR works well to create an acceptable exposure for both foreground and background. Usually the flower petals 'glow' nicely from being backlit by the sun, but if needs be, I'll tweak the 'radiance' slider a bit as well.)


8 comments:

MadSnapper said...

beautiful, it looks very similar to our flowers here that I can think of the name

Nancy J said...

Tweaking or adjustment is what can enhance an already stunning setting, and those golden flowers do really glow. Thanks so much for giving us the low-down on your finishing touches.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Loving your last two shots. Kudos

Bill said...

Interesting sky as well...

Unknown said...

Karen, beautiful capture of this interesting flower! Love your composition!

Ruth Hiebert said...

That is a very detailed plant. As expected, you captured it beautifully.

Michelle said...

Absolute perfection in this photo.

janc@mac.com said...

You manage to find the most interesting specimens of plants. So gorgeous!