Daylily Fireworks

Happy Sunday. Happy 4th of July.

Fireworks of another kind. The inner fire of the Daylily in the early morning sun. This is the common variety…though we have several cultivars of different colors in our yard, acquired over the years. A drive around the neighborhood yesterday afternoon reminded me of just how abundant these Daylilies are in Southern Maine.  We have a few individual plants. Some yards have masses of them!

For this shot I used the tel-macro function of the Canon SX20IS to frame and isolate the strongly lighted flower against a darker background. One advantage of the tel-macro is that you can get this kind of shot without dealing with the shadow of the camera.

Canon SX20IS at about 450mm equivalent. F5.6 @ 1/500 @ ISO 250. Aperture preferred.

In Lightroom, a bit of Recovery for the highlights on the petals, Fill Light to slightly offset Blackpoint to the right. Added Clarity and a small amount of Vibrance. Sharpen narrow edges preset.

From The Yard: Kennebunk ME.

And, since it is Sunday and the 4th, a few more to celebrate.