Although I have grown to know most of the irises in the garden of my friend and neighbor Cindy Dyer, I don’t know their individual names. One iris that recently started blooming is so unusual and outrageous in appearance that I suspected that it was a special hybrid. I was bemused to learn that it is called the ‘Bewilderbeast’ bearded iris.
I love the way that Claire Austin described this striking hybrid iris on the Heritage Irises website, “This flower is a psychedelic mixture of colours, including maroon, mauve, and cream. These colours sit in rivers across the white background. The standards are muted in tone, and the thin beards are dark yellow.”
I tried photographing the iris with a natural background, which I prefer, and also with a piece of foamcore board. Do you prefer one image over the other?
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Mike Powell 
I like the angle of the natural background best. Shows it’s grandeur!
Thanks, Molly. I had mostly focused on the background when considering which one I liked best, but I see what you mean about the angle.
Beautiful, Mike. I think I prefer the top one! Gorgeous iris!
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Thanks, Mitzy. I suspect that we will be in the majority in preferring the natural background, but it will be interesting to see if there are folks that prefer the less cluttered look of the second shot.
That’s always fun, isn’t it? 🙂
What a specimen! Holy moly, this flower is magnificent, Mike, and what a joy it must’ve been to be so close to it. Sometimes bearded iris have fragrance, does this beauty have a fragrance? As for your two photos, I caught myself thinking, am I, this one time, going to prefer foamboard over a natural setting background? Because there is a plainness to the foamboard that gives the flower full attention. But as I continued to study the two, I decided I, too, liked the green natural background photo more, because the purples stand out more vibrantly. Great fun, my friend.
Thanks, Jet, for such a thoughtful response. I will have to get up close to this flower and check to see how strong its fragrance is. There was not as much light as I would have liked when I took the photos and the foamcore board turned out a dull gray rather than brilliant white. I think that when I was processing the foam core image I might have lightened the color and saturation of the iris in my effort to lighten the background background. A lot of this is a matter of personal preference and I think it is useful for us to examine what we like and try to figure out why.
Prefer the natural it makes the colours stand out.
Thanks. I think there is an overall vibrance to the entire image that draws me in.
Definitely with the foam core.
Thanks, Michael. I am always interested finding out about the perceptions and preferences of others. I know what I like, but in many cases it is hard for me to anticipate how somehow else will view a given image.
Well, you know me: simplicity.
That is almost exactly what I thought. Your own photography suggests that simplicity is a strong personal preference. 🙂
😊
What an amazing looking flower! 🙂
Thanks. I am blessed to have a friend, who is also a photographer, with an amazing garden.
Your question’s about background so I’d say without hesitation I prefer the foamcore background (the slanting stems in the first photo are very distracting and the flower looks like it’s levitating LOL). The form of the flower against the foamcore is lovely, but as you’ve already commented there’s issues with grey background / flower colour. The form is really lovely though – the stem has a ‘perfectly wrapped and presented’ look – very complementary to the flowing, luxuriant petals!
Thanks taking the time, Liz, to explain your thinking. This iris is located in a place in the garden where it is hard to frame a decent shot. It is right off of a narrow concrete walkway and I can’t back up without trampling over other flowers. As you saw with some other irises, I like being able to get some of the stem into the photo so that you don’t have the levitation effect quite so much.
That’s a beautiful iris! I prefer the natural shot but I spend a lot of time outdoors. The foamcore shot seems too hygienic, if that’s the word. Sterile maybe? Unnatural?
Thanks. It is easier to see the form of a plant or insect against a plain, uncluttered background, but on the whole I prefer the more “natural” background. I often have this kind of discussion with a friend about dragonflies that perch on the ground. You can see the dragonfly better if it perches on a deck or a sidewalk, but I prefer to photograph them in the cluttered, but more natural underbrush.
A really beauty, Mike and definitely the natural for me.
What a wild-looking iris! I think both images have merit.
What an outrageous color combination–psychedelic hits it on the head. On the whole, I prefer the natural background, even though it’s quite busy. I think I’d like the second one more if the flower were as dark and saturated as it is in the first; it seems a bit washed out; light balance may have been something of a challenge with all that white behind it.
Thanks, Gary. I processed the two images separately and possibly even on different days. When the second image is on its own, I don’t notice how much the colors are washed out, but in the side-by-side with the tother one, it becomes quite clear.
I like the second version
Thanks, Sherry. More people seem to favor the first image, but you are definitely not alone in preferring the second one.
I like the simplicity of the bacckground which allows one to focus on the flower.