Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Popping White Dutch Clover



This image started with a macro of a White Dutch Clover bloom in my lawn. With Photoshop I increased the contrast and then brought the black level up until the background changed to mostly black effectively removing distractions. Lastly I applied a touch of unsharp mask to sharpen the edges.

My goal usually is to create an image as close as possible to how I experienced the original scene, but in this case I took the liberty to become somewhat more creative.

Personally I like the results.

What do you think? Be honest, I promise not to be offended if you don’t care for it.

White Dutch Clover, once common in lawns is now considered a weed by many. I encourage the clover in my lawn. White Dutch Clover fixes nitrogen eliminating the need for heavy fertilizer applications, it attracts and feeds bees, rabbits etc, it is also drought resistant and low growing not requiring frequent mowing. Attracting wildlife is reason enough for me to grow it, the other benefits are all bonus.

8 comments:

Michele said...

I find this fascinating. Totally loving the colors and it gives the appearance that the clover is popping out of the photo. I like what you have done here.

Anonymous said...

Since I can remember I have stepped on Little White Dutch Clover and got stung by the honey bee on it.

I have always had Little White Dutch Clover in my lawn and while it is essential for the environment, without sufficient pollinators, it dies out. It has to have the bees to keep spreading. I am down to two smaller patches which the little bunny rabbits found when they went off to explore and eat my flowers.

I agree with all you have said about Little White Dutch Clover.

I am getting a new lens today so I may see if I can get a shot of the clover we have left.

Patty and I will be celebrating 53 years of marriage on July 12th. Think of it as a long-term relationship.

I have invited bloggers to offer suggestions on a gift for me to give Patty and the list would not be complete without your ideas.

Abraham Lincoln
Brookville Daily Photo

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Salty: Love the results, very artistic improvements.

Shelley said...

I like it - this was a good photography lesson. I have a Canon Rebel XTI that I need to experiment more with. Never thought about using the "unsharp mask" option.

Tom said...

Hi Salty...
I think the picture looks great.. you know what you saw and you know what tjhe result of the picture you took was.. this is your way of enhancing what the camera captures... you have put 'soul' into the shot. Excellent..

photowannabe said...

I like what Old Tom Tigley said about you putting "soul" into the shot. I agree wholeheartedly. Beautiful.

Kekiinani said...

I love the depth of field with the other flower lurking in the background. I don't think it would have been such a great shot if you had lots of distractions back there.. So in other words.. I think it is a super image the way you have done it.. Cool looking flower as well. :) :)

Roses and Lilacs said...

Salty, I think the clover is excellent. You've taken an easy to overlook bloom, isolated it and showcased it's simple beauty. We miss a lot of wonderful stuff in nature because someone doesn't 'pop' it for us. We gotta learn to look closer.
Thanks
Marnie