It’s the peonies time of year, and I am putting aside some time to photograph some luscious Peony blossoms!

To learn how I made this photo, check out the FAQs Photographing Flowers for Transparency and Using a High-Key Layer Stack, and also my webinar recording Painting in Transparency Using a High-Key Layer Stack.

Exposure data: Nikon D800, Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4, six exposures each at f/11 and ISO 100, tripod mounted, exposures processed using Adobe Camera RAW, Adobe Photoshop, and Nik HDR Efex Pro.

I applied the peonies photo to a background of scanned paper created using a gradient, so it is slightly lighter at the top than the bottom. For more information about this technique, check out my webinar recording Using Backgrounds and Textures.

Related story: Peonies and Poppies.