Here are my options for entries to this challenge. First, there are photos of Gott's Roadside diner in the Napa area. I finally got around to editing the raw files. Then I have a couple of ways of presenting hydrangea blossoms with this theme in mind. It is unlikely that I'll have any fresh shots or time to do much in the way of further photo editing. Any thoughts on which one might be the strongest entry for this particular challenge? C & C? Suggestions re titles are also welcome.

Thanks,
Gretchen

11. Burgers, Milkshakes, and Fries, Oh My! (Gott's Roadside in St. Helena)


14. Illuminating Hydrangeas at Midnight


15. Hydrangeas Night and Day


16. Flowers Night and Day

The flowers are striking.

Originally Posted by ghinson The flowers are striking.

Greg and Dave, thanks. I realized that I hadn't posted a diner shot other than what I had edited with iPad apps so I wanted to post some of both in one short thread.

Greg, I downloaded the Skytracker app and it is amazing. Wish I had known about it when we were in Hawaii. If I heard correctly, I think the folks at Mauna Kea were saying that Hawaii is the only place in the US where you can see the southern cross.

I still like the one you entered best (I see you switched the order)...Even though this could be captured any time of day, to me it's still a visual representation of the time frame theme and I like your interpretation plus the translucence of the petals and the clarity of the flowers overall are striking.

The lunchtime pics don't hold my interest as much. GP

Originally Posted by GretaPics I still like the one you entered best (I see you switched the order)...Even though this could be captured any time of day, to me it's still a visual representation of the time frame theme and I like your interpretation plus the translucence of the petals and the clarity of the flowers overall are striking. The lunchtime pics don't hold my interest as much. GP

Thanks for your input on these. I switched the order partly because the b/w has more visual impact in a way and felt "larger" than the colored version. I wanted to see what it looked like with the full color version on the left. And with a 2 minute tutorial from my strobist son, I learned how to use image canvas to combine the 2 photos which a) made it easier to place these images and b) means the correct exif is attached (when the flower images are edits of the same shot).

As for capturing this shot any time of day, someone probably could but I found that this technique - illuminating the flowers by putting them on a lightbox and using a tripod to shoot from above - really works best when the room is very dark. So I find that late night/very early morning works best for me when doing these shots.

Flowers.

Really like the way you've done up #14 and worked it into #15. Quite nice.

I agree with the others. #15 with the B&W and color. Striking and on theme. Well done!

...and this thread is no exception. I'm still a fan of the diner shots as they say "midday" to me. Your shots are all strong!

I prefer either the one you entered or 15 - hard to compare with them not side by side, but the flower shots are very eye-catching and well done - nice DOF, focus, lighting.

Thank you all for your input. Here is another variation and #15 for comparison. Any preferences?

Thanks,
Gretchen

15. Hydrangeas Day and Night


18. Hydrangeas Night and Day

#18. I like the way the ends of the leaves just touch. And I am not sure why, but night and day is more appealing than day and night.

The black & white shape in between the barely touching leaves is more interesting also!

Thank you both. Working on final edit for entry.