Cynthia who posted the picture of Hollyhill Starburst: People have been looking for cameras that replicate blue purple in dahlias. Yours seems to do a good job. Pictures shot in the shade naturally have a touch of blue in them. Most cameras do not pick that up very well. What is better: having picture one shade too blue or having picture two shades too red? Most cameras in that situation seem to be the two shades of red.
DahliaGardener Jul 15, 2013 8:29 AM PDT
Name: Cynthia BG, KY USDA Zone 6b Sanity = Dirt under your nails...
Thanks for the encouraging words, Ted. I am glad that my camera picks up blues, I just wish it picked up a little more red. I can't get a magenta picture to come to true color no matter what I do; they all turn purple or dark blue, regardless of lighting. I realize if it were a little more red it may not make that much difference, but it may be a redder purple...
Does your camera take pictures that you consider to be true to color, Ted?
Noni mentioned adjusting the photos she takes to the colors she sees. I wonder if I could do that, but I have no idea how to go about it.
C DG
tgarland Jul 15, 2013 9:52 AM PDT
Name: Tim Garland Boise, Idaho
So, Ted a question about the MB seedling. From the picture you can see the bracks. Is this a drawback or not? I have a seedling that shows the bracks too.
teddahlia Jul 15, 2013 10:07 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
In the judging manual it says that bracts are a deduction only if they detract from the color. For example bright green visible bracts on a dark red flower would be a deduction. Since all dahlias have bracts, they cannot make a deduction for all bracts. I did not notice the bracts on the MB seedling and I doubt there would be a deduction.
teddahlia Jul 15, 2013 10:09 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Picture of a seedling using the macro lense. Next time I use it, I am going to put it on a tripod and see how fine the I can get the focus.
DahliaGardener Jul 15, 2013 10:19 AM PDT
Name: Cynthia BG, KY USDA Zone 6b Sanity = Dirt under your nails...
My pictures all get the 'shakes' when I use macro without a tripod. Your pictures look good, Ted! They'll probably turn into spectacular when you can get even closer with the tripod.
C DG
tgarland Jul 16, 2013 8:57 AM PDT
Name: Tim Garland Boise, Idaho
So I got some filters and played around with the UV one and a polerized one. I have not seen much of a difference in using them. Does anyone have any experiance in using them?
drewtheflorist Jul 16, 2013 9:50 AM PDT
Name: Drew the Florist 14 miles S E of Pittsburgh
teddahlia wrote:
Picture of a seedling using the macro lense. Next time I use it, I am going to put it on a tripod and see how fine the I can get the focus.
Can't get too much better than that !
teddahlia Jul 16, 2013 11:25 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
I used tripod on this picture of a seedling. I think that the focus is probably a bit better. I am shooting pictures just a bit too dark and may have to use total manual controls to lighten them up a bit. Above picture looks too dark when small but looks good when enlarged.
That is a pretty one, Ted, in the enlarged version! Do you use a photo program on your computer? Its real easy to make them lighter with this, which is what I do. I like to crop my pics also with it. Nice crisp lines with your new lens!
CCvacation Jul 16, 2013 8:56 PM PDT
Name: CC PA
tgarland wrote:So I got some filters and played around with the UV one and a polerized one. I have not seen much of a difference in using them. Does anyone have any experiance in using them?
I used to use a polarizer for shots with reflections in them. The polarizer is, simply, bars going in one direction. As you turn the filter, the bars (at the right angle) block out extra light, allowing the reflections to appear to go away. In the same way, it causes the blue sky to become darker, as the reflection of light in the sky is reduced. It's great to up the contrast in landscapes or close ups with the sky in the background.
The UV filter is mostly to protect your lense from smudges and damage. If I remember correctly form the days that I sold them on commission, there are different 'levels,' but it was mostly hype. It's a piece of protective glass, that can exacerbate sun glare, if you're not careful. I'm sure you can google it, if you want the hype.
Hope this helps!
tgarland Jul 17, 2013 7:08 AM PDT
Name: Tim Garland Boise, Idaho
Seedling, I like the color Finger lickin good Seedling opening
Thanks for the info, CC. I got a 4 piece set of these filters, so I was giving them a try. Nice to know the real story.
oooh, wonder what that purple one will look like!? I hope you will show us as it opens. Funny, my "Happy Single Flame" did that finger licking thing on exactly the same petal I think on its first bloom. I'm hoping that it won't on its next one.
teddahlia Jul 17, 2013 9:28 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
That is a pretty one, Ted, in the enlarged version! Do you use a photo program on your computer? Its real easy to make them lighter with this, which is what I do. I like to crop my pics also with it.
I have noticed that with picture editing programs that you must start with a good picture or there is very little you can do. If the shot is too dark, you can lighten it a little but if you do too much the colors are no longer correct. When a picture is too exposed, you can do almost nothing as the highlights have no detail and nothing will add detail. And when a picture is out of focus, you can only sharpen it a little bit and if it is badly out of focus nothing helps. And color correction is the same. If the color is nearly perfect from the camera, you can tweak it a little to make it better. But the more the color is off, the more difficult it is.
Colin Walker did a class on photographing dahlias. His number one theme was to do everything possible to get a good photo from the camera rather than trying to fix it in an editing program. He uses an expensive SLR, a Nikon 300. He has an interesting method to shoot hand held pictures of dahlias in gardens like the trial gardens. He sets his camera to ISO 400 and shoots the flowers in full sunlight at very high shutter speeds like 1/1000 or 1/1650. With such a high shutter speed, you do not need a tripod. And by using ISO 400, you can have even higher shutter speeds while getting good depth of field. I believe he uses the aperture priority setting on his camera, set at aperture 6.3 and lets the camera select the proper shutter speed.
DahliaGardener Jul 17, 2013 11:10 AM PDT
Name: Cynthia BG, KY USDA Zone 6b Sanity = Dirt under your nails...
I like your 'finger lickin' good' picture, Tim! And the purple one looks interesting, too. I also agree, the pink one is a good color.
Noni, my HS Flame didn't do that, so hopefully yours will settle down. Maybe it's just excited to be blooming in your yummy soil?
C DG
CCvacation Jul 17, 2013 11:18 AM PDT
Name: CC PA
"I have noticed that with picture editing programs that you must start with a good picture or there is very little you can do."
Amen to that, Ted. My worst nightmare is the wrong settings in the camera during a cathedral wedding. No flash, just crappy ambient light from stained glass windows and harsh fluorescents pointed straight down. No redos, and tons of trying to color correct images that don't have all the correct information in the first place.
That happens more then I'd like to admit, because the correct reading needs to be taken with the lighting used during the service... And the churches typically don't turn on all the lights until its show time and too late for us to take hand-held readings where the action is going to take place. Instead, the balcony camera has to go with a hedge bet, depending on circumstances.
Edited to say,
Sorry for the off topic rambling... You'd never guess what I've been doing for the last few days! Post production color correcting is for the dogs.
edewitt Jul 17, 2013 2:44 PM PDT
Name: Eric DeWitt Mountainair, NM
ACDSee Pro 6, is a great editing program once you get the hang of it.
teddahlia Jul 23, 2013 9:24 AM PDT
Name: Ted Oregon We enjoy breeding new dahlias!
Here is a picture of Hollyhill Pink Martini(2015 introduction, maybe 2014) that is straight from the camera without anything done. No cropping, no color correction, no nothing. I wish a higher percentage of photos would jump out of the camera like that.
DahliaGardener Jul 23, 2013 11:35 AM PDT
Name: Cynthia BG, KY USDA Zone 6b Sanity = Dirt under your nails...
Wow! That's just glorious, Ted! Do, please, tell Margaret 'good job'! I may have to have Pink Martini (It will be funny if it's a good tuber producer to say 'Oh, yes, I have 15 Pink Martinis, from Hollyhill, don't you know'. )
Seedling, I like the color
Finger lickin good
Seedling opening
)