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Early Morning


Early Morning
Photo Information
Copyright: Francine Malo (NinaM) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 655 W: 0 N: 1623] (5300)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-06-14
Categories: Flowers
Camera: Canon EOS350D/Digital Rebel XT, Canon EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS USM
Exposure: f/2.8, 1/320 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Flower(purple/violet) [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-02-10 11:29
Viewed: 531
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 34
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I am becoming crazy, I am sitting in front of the computer since 8 o'clock this morning, having discovered a new feature in Lightroom and how to use it from a book I am reading: the CURVES ;-). They were a real mystery to me before today.

I love it, I think it is more sophisticated than just using saturation, contrast, etc. Well, up to that point that is what I think but I have the feeling I am "developing" my picture instead of "blowing" it...

I am posting for you a picture of a lupine that has started growing by itself in the garden. We had never sown any lupine at that point and there it started growing and on the second year, it was a huge plant, growing over other plants, like the beautiful white iris.

I like this picture because of the dark and light contrasts which are natural in this picture. It was early in the morning and as we have lots of trees in the backyard, it is very shadowy at that time of the day. Light was crossing the stem of the lupine and I though it was gorgeous, magical.

I made very slight adjustments with the "curves" in Lightroom because this picture was real nice as it was shot. I tried to take the leaves which were real dark out of the strong shadows so we could get a hint of them while looking at the picture.

Lupines grow all along roads in the Eastern Townships, in the south of Quebec. I think this might be cultivated plants that have started to spread. Here, in St-Alphonse, they don't grow wild but this one is probably coming from a seed sown by bird pooh ;-)

They also grow wild in St-Pierre-et-Miquelon which is a tiny island in the St-Lawrence Gulf, very close to Newfoundland, in the south part of Newfoundland.

St-Pierre-et-Miquelon is an oddity in Canada and Quebec as it is a French colony, still belonging to the French. I couldn't tell you the history of the island but if you go there, you pay in Euro money and they speak French like the French and have the French television. They don't belong to Canada and culturally they are French... yet I am sure they have strange cultural twist compared to the French people.

Any way, my Love went there one summer and it is filled with lupines, everywhere, they are almost the only plants. There's not much trees there either as it is windy and direct on the ocean. Lupines can grow in very hostile environment.

I love those beautiful flowered stems. Thanks for reading!

Francine

Resized for TN, no cropping
Shot in jpeg at 55 mm.
ISO 100


Here is what I found on lupines on Internet. Did you know that some species of lupines are toxic?

FROM:

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004811


Lupine [Latin lupus, "wolf," from the belief that it robs the soil], is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant, genus Lupinus of the pea family Leguminosae or Fabaceae (see LEGUME). Palmately compound leaves (ie, leaflets which radiate from a central point) and showy flower spikes make lupines admirable ORNAMENTALS (eg, Russell hybrids).

Distribution

Worldwide, there are about 200 species with 2 principal areas of distribution: the western mountains of North and South America, and the Mediterranean basin. In Canada, 28 species are recognized, most from southern Saskatchewan to BC; L. arcticus and L. nootkatensis reach the western Arctic; L. perennis occurs in southern Ontario; the western species, L. polyphyllus, is naturalized in eastern Canada. Some cultivated lupines escape along roadsides. Some species are grown for fodder, green manure and food (eg, the Balkan species, L. albus, cultivated in Europe and South Africa). In Canada, lupines are used as a cover crop in reforestation projects. Lupines enrich nitrogen-poor soils. Quinolizidine alkaloids make lupine seeds poisonous to livestock, although vegetative plants are not. When treated properly, seeds provide a protein source for livestock.
claudine, warnzy, fiyo, eqshannon, K9madtex, wahclella, PaulH, Argus, hester has marked this note useful
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To claudine: KilosNinaM 2 02-10 12:39
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Critiques [Translate]

Salut Francine,
C'est très joli comme photo! L'éclairage, l'ombre et la lumière donnent un très bel effet. J'aime aussi la profondeur de champs choisie qui nous laisse entrevoir la forme et les couleurs des autres fleurs. Depuis que j'apprend photoshop et que je fais de la photo plus intensive, j'ai des problèmes de sciatique et plusieurs kilos en trop - attention danger!!! :-) Merci,
Claudine

Hi Francine,

Beautiful picture, with absolutely amazing colours. Such a difficult shot to get right, and you have done an excellent job. I'm going to looking to using curves too, so thanks for the tip.

Mike

La lumière et la palette de bleu(ssss) sur cette photo sont superbes
bravo Francine,
amicalement,
Pat

  • Great 
  • fiyo Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 958 W: 5 N: 2373] (8876)
  • [2008-02-10 13:13]

Hello Francine,
very nice picture with a superb composition; sharpness, colors, light, everything is excellent ! TFS

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1107 W: 6 N: 3063] (11326)
  • [2008-02-10 13:19]

Salut Francine,une photo de grande classe,un intelligent et perfect methode pour montrer nous la beaute' de ce fleur,j'aime beaucoup ton travail,merci de partager,Luciano

I admit to being in a hurry and not reading but just for a quick comment...this is going into my fav's right now!
bob

  • Great 
  • lizzie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 214 W: 0 N: 635] (2847)
  • [2008-02-10 18:24]

Bonjour Francine,

J'aime beaucoup le mélange de l'éclairage sur le lupin, de belles couleurs roses violacées qui se marient merveilleusement bien avec les différentes teintes de vert sur la tige. Une belle netteté qui nous permet d'apprécier chacune des pousses. Très bien fait!

Lise

Congratulations on your new found talent. It seems to have payed off well for this photo. It makes me anxious for the bluebonnets (also Lupines) to return this spring.

Hello Francine,
Absolutely beautiful lighting that allowed the Lupine's colors to be clearly viewed.
Almost backlit it appears, a beautiful image from your collection.
Steve

  • Great 
  • PaulH Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1068 W: 26 N: 3206] (11487)
  • [2008-02-11 3:46]

Hi Francine,
your note made me laugh, as i too remeber when i 'discovered' the curves adjustment - it is very good at helping to tweak the levels and contrast isn't it?
It's certainly worked here too my friend, wonderful light, shadow and colour - beautiful work, i love it.
Paul

  • Great 
  • mrcrow Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 458 W: 123 N: 197] (2996)
  • [2008-02-11 10:42]

beautiful backlit shot with halo..you got that one right!!
i will now look up curves on my old PS2 and see if i can get some decent results like this with darker areas
cheers
geof

Hello Francine Malo ,
Tahanks for lot of information and sharing with us. as you write about curve this is realy fact. If anyone can adjust the levels through curve than he can bring the colors as he saw with the naked eye. I also love this tool and use it freely.
Morning light and combination with curve make it spurb. in fact you have an eye of an artist. your compositions and colors are bold and capture viewer eyes as breez,
thanks for sharing and Best regards,
Nadeem Khawar.....

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2770 W: 151 N: 7984] (24857)
  • [2008-02-12 3:58]

Bonjour Francine,
Superb lighting in this shot of a Lupine flower, the flowers contrasting beautifully with the dark BG where the light shines through them. Nice simple composition too.
Merci pour le partage,
Amicalement,
Ivcan

Belle lumière du matin sur ces belles couleur.
Bravo
Marie

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1482 W: 18 N: 3044] (11160)
  • [2008-02-12 10:16]

Hi Francine

Wonderful backlighting and stunning vibrant colours. This is beautiful

TFS

Karan

Hi Francine, nice lighting effect here from the early morning sun, also nice background.
It reminds me of my mothers lupin garden many years ago in Ireland.
TFS,
John Greene.

Hi Francine,

Let me say something I love Nature and her different colours and I see,I believe this is the one of the yours great shots Well done.

Regards
Hakan

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