I'm the lucky one. This is pure perfection. I've never seen the stamen of a flower look like that. Perhaps stamen is not the right term. I even used the magnifier on my new mouse to try to see if there were ppl inserted somehow into the photo...vis-a-vis an Anne Geddes type of treatment..but no...they look like they belong there. I can't get over how this all fits so perfectly together with the marvelous dark pink on the tips of the petals and how they melt down to that slightly tinged creamy color and then miraculously give way to this bright yellow bed that cradles the mysterious light green cup that contains...contains what I don't even have words for. If I have any criticism of it at all, and I almost missed it because I was so riveted on the flower is the torn leaf on the right-hand side...some will leave imperfections in, but when you get a macro this good, I think a little judicious cloning is worth it...of course it's in my favs and on my desktop, and thank you for this wonderfully harmonious capture :)PJ
This Lotus is the epitome of beauty - the image reminds me of a painting. Absolutely gorgeous with crystal clarity. The petals are extremely delicate appearing with lovely curves - the inner flower parts are interesting and have their own beauty. The pale pink color is exquisite and the lighting on the bloom is perfect. Very pleasing resting against the green leaf. The photo should get the highest marks. Superbly shown beauty, thanks Dean!
Oh my, this is fascinating and more beautiful than many I've seen. Excellent macro with beautiful colors and clarity. Thanks for sharing this beauty. TYU ;)
All the wonders you seek are within yourself. Always glad to see visitors at My Gallery and thanks for your continued kind words and constant support. Anita
HI DEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So glad you are posting again! Sorry for a late reply to your emails!!!!!!!
I have missed you very much!
Beautiful photo! I will get caught up viewing your work asap! Hugs and friendship always! Terri
I hold it true that thoughts are things; They're endowed with bodies, breath and wings:
And that we send them forth to fill the world with good results, or ill.
That which we call our secret thought speeds forth to earth's remotest spot, leaving it's blessings or it's woes like tracks behind it as it goes.
We build our future, thought by thought for good or for ill, yet know it not.
Yet so the universe was wrought .
Thought is another name for fate.
Choose then thy destiny and wait, for Love brings Love and Hate brings Hate. - Henry Van Dyke.
This is an example of the healthy and fresh lotus. I bet the smell must have left you mesmerized? As to the quality of the photo - it is splendid, good choice of dof and excuisite light exposure.
Dean- Whoa, this is an incredible picture with a well-deserved high C-index. I don't think I've ever seen a macro like this that is soooo incredibly sharp, all the way through the picture. Seriously. And I disagree with the comment above about cloning out the imperfections in the leaf. Trying to manipulate it like that would almost certainly ruin an otherwise perfect image. Not to mention the fact that I had to do a triple take to make sure this was a real flower, and the only thing that convinced me was that leaf. Wow...well done!
The clarity of your photo along with the way you framed the lotus is great! I was in Vietnam last summer and my aunt made me tea with the lotus, such warm memory. Lotus seeds are also my favorite. =)
The clarity here is unremarkable, Dean! I totally agree with the others, that it appears that the lighting comes from within the lotus. I can't get over the fact that I can actually see the lines/veins in the undersides of the petals, and the colors here are so dreamy. Very well done!
~lori
I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live my life as if there isn't and die to find out there is.
Albert Camus
........
My Gallery
Lotus flowers are my absolute favorite! I love this image - the colors on this flower, and the detail of your photograph are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing such an amazing photo.