C&C for this flower shot: Sharp enough?

[MrGreenBug]

Your C&Cs are very much welcome. Fire on! Please do give tips and advice to further improve.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3393/3568830519_165193a4e2.jpg


A larger view can be seen here: Pink Rose ("http://picasaweb.google.com/gelo.chiu/FForFlowers#5343757743181015090)

[Oren]

Well, nice bokeh, nice colors and sharp enough for me... great picture all in all.


P.S I don't see any larger version in the link you provided.

[Rodger]

I'm a fan

[MrGreenBug]

@ Oren: Thank you for the comments. Try this link for the larger view ("http://picasaweb.google.com/gelo.chiu/FForFlowers#5343757743181015090).


@ Rodger: Wow! Thanks for being a fan. You're my first.

[asmodai]

So, it's a technically good photo. The exposure is spot on, the color is nice, and you hit your focus. But I guess the composition doesn't do much for me. I find my eye drawn to the center of the flower where it just kind of stuck. I wish there were more going on. Even different contours in the OOF area might be enough to please me.

[Chuck Lee]

I agreed.


If that same rose is still on your kitchen table, try sticking something dark behind it. The composition is OK but it's niether high key or low key. Not that it has to be, but I find that the outer petals which reflect more light back at the camera sort of fade into the background. If the background were much darker, dark green, even black, the whole flower would sit out and could be explored by the viewer. Also, if you have a spray bottle, try spraying a little water on it then get in nice and close and show us that beautiful rose again. In the photo shown here, I'd say it's plenty sharp. For flowers, I dont' think sharpness is as important as good light, contrast and background.


Thanks for sharing your work!!


Chuck

[MrGreenBug]

So, it's a technically good photo. The exposure is spot on, the color is nice, and you hit your focus. But I guess the composition doesn't do much for me. I find my eye drawn to the center of the flower where it just kind of stuck. I wish there were more going on. Even different contours in the OOF area might be enough to please me.
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First of all, thank you for the comments. I'm glad I was able to hit the technicals part as I was focused on it too much. I was trying to somehow prove that my kit lens (18-55) can produce a sharp picture. I had lots of other flower pics that were soft and this one is the sharpest of them all. Due to this, you're right that the viewer is always drawn to the center.


Thanks for the input. Very helpful. This is another step into my journey of improvement in this world of photography.

[MrGreenBug]

If that same rose is still on your kitchen table, try sticking something dark behind it. The composition is OK but it's niether high key or low key. Not that it has to be, but I find that the outer petals which reflect more light back at the camera sort of fade into the background. If the background were much darker, dark green, even black, the whole flower would sit out and could be explored by the viewer. Also, if you have a spray bottle, try spraying a little water on it then get in nice and close and show us that beautiful rose again. In the photo shown here, I'd say it's plenty sharp. For flowers, I dont' think sharpness is as important as good light, contrast and background.





Oppsss.. I wish that flower was on my kitchen table. [:)]


You're right a dark background could have made the flower to stand out. Thanks for the tips. These will really help me improve.

[Don Burkett]

I think the sharpness is fine. Composition wise, it's a matter of personal preference. Some have recommended a darker background and that is a good suggestion. Here are some additional thoughts for whatever there worth. A deflector or diffuser is alway helpful in shooting flora. It keeps the relected light of the flower more even, and flowers love to have shiny parts that create hot spots. In a shot like this, where the round flower is predominent, typically a 1:1 crop works better when there is a non-contributing background. If more of the stem were visible I'd recommend a vertical orientation. A horizonal orientation rarely seems to work out for me with a single round bloom unless there are lots of angular lines created by the stem and leaves. A touch more contrast and a closer crop would bring out texture of this beautiful bloom more. Your DOF is perfect, but there are a lot of color patches in this shot competing for attention.


All in all, very good effort. You got 2 of the tough parts worked out being the overall sharpness and DOF. Most of everything else, including what I said, is a matter or personal preference.

[MrGreenBug]

I think the sharpness is fine. Composition wise, it's a matter of personal preference. Some have recommended a darker background and that is a good suggestion. Here are some additional thoughts for whatever there worth. A deflector or diffuser is alway helpful in shooting flora. It keeps the relected light of the flower more even, and flowers love to have shiny parts that create hot spots. In a shot like this, where the round flower is predominent, typically a 1:1 crop works better when there is a non-contributing background. If more of the stem were visible I'd recommend a vertical orientation. A horizonal orientation rarely seems to work out for me with a single round bloom unless there are lots of angular lines created by the stem and leaves. A touch more contrast and a closer crop would bring out texture of this beautiful bloom more. Your DOF is perfect, but there are a lot of color patches in this shot competing for attention.


All in all, very good effort. You got 2 of the tough parts worked out being the overall sharpness and DOF. Most of everything else, including what I said, is a matter or personal preference.






Thank you Don for all of your input. A new lesson learned for me. Thank you guys for your wonderful thoughts.


Here's another shot of it in a closer and a different angle but the details are more soft. Any thoughts on this one?


SeePink Rose (Closeup) ("http://picasaweb.google.com/gelo.chiu/FForFlowers#5343860955985995010)for a larger view


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[ShutterbugJohan]

Here's another shot of it in a closer and a different angle but the details are more soft. Any thoughts on this one?


I like this one better than the first one. It is very nice. One thing I would do is change the "(c) 2009" in the corner to "&copy; 2009". To get the &copy; symbol on a Windows computer, press "Alt" while typing 0169 on the 10-key, and it will make the &copy; symbol automatically. On a Mac, I think that "Cmd" + "G" will make the &copy; symbol, but I'm not sure.

[MrGreenBug]

I like this one better than the first one. It is very nice. One thing I would do is change the "(c) 2009" in the corner to "&copy; 2009". To get the &copy; symbol on a Windows computer, press "Alt" while typing 0169 on the 10-key, and it will make the &copy; symbol automatically. On a Mac, I think that "Cmd" + "G" will make the &copy; symbol, but I'm not sure.
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Thank you so much for the &copy; tip! I was trying to figure that out but wasn't in the mood to look it up. [;)] I'm glad that you liked the new photo.


Best regards!