I found this pristine bud in a greenhouse among a crowded group of plants and pots. I was able to isolate it by getting down to “bud” leavel and using a full bloom for the background with a shallow depth-of-field. I liked the composition but the brighter bloom was drawing too much attention from the bud which was shaded by the leaf above. So, I used a penlight with a warm gel to put a little light on my main subject, the bud. I also eliminated a distracting leaf at the bottom of the image in the final version. Very quick and easy!
Interesting and helpful blog post! My question is what is a warm gel?
Theater supply companies and some photo lighting suppliers sell sheets of thin colored gels, an orange one will give a warm tint. You can also use on your flash units. Hope that helps.