Playing around with softness has been an interesting experience.
My first experiment with increasing softness was by reducing clarity. Al took these photos in RAW, back when RAW was quite new, and quite unknown, especially to me. I actually didn’t like RAW much, except for when I played around with clarity and ended up with these soft images.
Next up is a photo app called Snapseed. It has a filter called ‘Glamour Glow’ that turned the Queen Anne’s Lace in Ireland into an even more magical place.
Keeping in mind what Glamour Glow did with the Queen Anne’s Lace clusters of tiny flowers, I tried the same effect on the some Vancouver flowers.
The Banana Palms bloomed in 2021 thanks to Vancouver’s heat dome, and again Glamour Glow made it magical.
The best (but hardest) way to get softness is organize some fog to roll in. Galway in Ireland on a foggy morning walk…
For more of the Lens-Artists Challenge: Bringing Softness.
Batz Gallery 
Beautifully captured .. thank you for joining in the challenge and edited… but my favourite image is the Purple Tansy. Thank you for joining in xx
Thanks for identifying the purple flower – it was quite spectacular but I had no idea what it was. And incidentally it was paired with bright red poppies…
With you 100% on the fog Elizabeth. Loved that one and especially your purple flower image. That one belongs on the wall!
Finding fog isn’t easy , and it’s never foggy in the section of Vancouver where I live. But the downtown area often does so I just need to rush out to when the foghorns go crazy. Also, I suspect I need to get a better camera, with RAW as Al rarely photographs flowers…
Love the Galway fog!
Yes, fog is one of my favourite softness things, but it can be really hard to get it to roll in on cue, except maybe in the fall in Ireland!
Very true!
Beautiful
Love your Queen Anne’s Lace editing and the foggy morning in Ireland. Those are my favourites but they are all excellent.
Ireland is pretty easy to make magical – it was a hard choice which ones to pick…
I can imagine.
Lovely pics, as ever, Batz.
So, is it better to create the soft effect in production, or with lens and light? Am I old fashioned to still hang onto “get it right in the camera”?
Getting softness ‘right in the camera’ requires a decent camera and, if you’re into macro, then a really good macro lens. I only have little point and shoots without much control so post-production is basically the only way for me to get softness. Doing it in-camera also requires a lot of patience and work, and I’m afraid I’m more of a happy snapper…
I think that “happy snapper” applies to many os us – myself included. I don’t have the kit or the skills to take it to another level. So, it’s great to see what is possible. Of course, being creative and talent goes a long way.