Cherry blossom images - need critique image 1

[Colin]

Have 4 shots of cherry blossoms for critiquing. Was supposed to be a cherry blossom festival at Jinhae, South Korea but postponed a week. New to the dslr game and still learning the settings etc of the 450D and the ef-s 17-55mm lens. So I need to find out where I buggered up so I hopefully will improve the shots next weekend. Sorry about the multiple posts but I couldn't get my 4 photos and the descriptions on the one thread (more hopeless with computers than the camera [img]/emoticons/emotion-1.gif[/img] Many thanks for the help.


This image: Shooting mode: Aperture priority, Shutter speed: 1/8, Aperture: 22.0, Metering mode: Partial, Exposure compensation: 0, ISO: 100, Focal length: 55mm


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This was the only picture I could see.... But....


It looks a little blurry. I don't know if this is filtering or focus, or just that the shutter speed is way too long. I'd suggest upping the ISO and opening up the aperture.


Aperture value F/22 is pretty extreme. That's like you want to get EVERYTHING in focus. But, with elements that close, you really can't, so what you get is a cluttered background.


You've got a VERY high contrast picture here, in that the content has stuff in direct sunlight, and the foreground blossoms are in the shade, which means that you'll probably have to either just blow out the highlights, or play with the curves a bit in post processing.


I was playing around in a similar situation a few days ago, with the same issues....








Shooting ModeAperture-Priority
Tv( Shutter Speed )1/4000
Av( Aperture Value )2.8
Metering ModeCenter-Weighted Average Metering
Exposure Compensation0
ISO Speed200
LensEF24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Focal Length24.0mm


Granted, the post processing isn't accurate, (not only is the saturation boosted, but the tone curves would give a purist a headache) but that wasn't really what I wanted either, but maybe given that qualification, you might find something useful in it....

[Colin]

I can see number three now...


For reasons previously stated, I like it best.


I'd still play with it in post processing, but it's a good capture.