Common House Plant That Rarely Blooms

Karin has submitted this photo as a “Photographer’s Choice”, noting particularly, “The carpels and stamens are absolutely clear. A botanist friend at ECU was amazed to see this photo of a blooming Jade and noted how sharp the detail was. These Jade plants rarely bloom but one of mine has bloomed from December to February every year since we brought it back from California (>20 years old). It never bloomed in California.” Karin used a tripod to obtain the clarity from her Nikon Coolpix S8100, using soft, natural light to bring out the detail without any harsh shadows or blown highlights. The framing, with the blooms off center, adds to the appeal. The rich, deep green background makes the blossoms truly pop.
This image can be used also to point out the importance of post processing and the improvements possible. The image below is as it came from the camera, somewhat flat, slightly underexposed, but more importantly, with a strong blue/green color cast. It only required a couple of adjustments to bring out the full potential of the image.