Mums the word

Yesterday I was the recipient of some beautiful cultivated white chrysanthemums with their showy flower heads. They were gorgeous in their own right but photographing them today to make an interesting image was challenging. I decided to set them by an open window to pick up a railing and hint of green hedge in the background, creating the illusion of growing outside. Then I waited till a watery winter sun came out to light the petals obliquely and add modelling. Back on the computer, I used another special effect in the Photoshop filter menu called Distort-Spherize to round the composition. To complete the picture I added in white matte corners to draw the eye towards the pristine snow-white blooms with their delicate lemon centres.