CC - little flowers (and are they macro?)

[Abby Rose]

I'm sure youre all sick of seeing flower pictures already. Sorry.

Is it ok? And I'm still trying to nail down the "real" definition of macro. Would this qualify?

 

[indeedies]

While not the exact definition of macro I love this shot! I like the small bright flowers and the huge old tree. It shows the beauty of the flower and the majesticness of the tree. Sort of like the tree is protecting them. What could be done to improve this shot? The light is really harsh which means the shadows are equally harsh. The flower on the left shows this. Also, I can't tell if the shot is in focus. Maybe just soft? What was your setup? Be careful of cutting stuff out of the image. On the right it looks like another flower may be there. I think this would have been a good example to break the rule of thirds and center the flowers while maintaining the same amount of tree in the BG.

Just my ideas though. I too am still learning but just wanted to say that you had a great eye and equally great idea for this shot. Nicely done!

Here's what macro is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macro_photography

 

[Abby Rose]

Sunshine, right on those flowers. How could I have softened the light? Just wait for a cloudy day, perhaps? Or is there something I could have done even with the sun there?

It actually is in focus (not obvious, I know), but it's just a little spot, right on the third flower from the left. All the others are out of focus. How could I have remedied this?

Yes, another flower was there. Lot of other flowers were there! Maybe I could crop out that little bit, and it would be better?

 

[Ron Evers]

It is not a macro, a true macro would have one flower overfill the frame. It is indeed a pleasing pic after this long winter. The pic is not sharp but that may be do to camera shake as you have a large DOF.

 

[indeedies]

As for diffusing the light you can use a big diffuser. I picked one up for about $30. It's about 4 feet in diameter and is a 5-in-1 reflector. If you don't have something like that then shoot on a cloudy day. The clouds will do the diffusing for you. Shoot when the sun isn't so harsh or using a flash. It doesn't sound like you have this type of equipment or knowledge and that's okay. Just something for you to think about as you continue forward with your hobby.

As for allowing more of the flowers to fall within the plane of focus you need to know how aperture works. I still wonder what your setup was? Can you pull up the EXIF data which shows what your shutter speed, aperture, WB, ISO was? If you were shooting with a kit lens (the lens that came standard with your camera) you were probably shooting with an aperture of around F/4. If you were to bump that down to say F/6.3 or F/7 you would be able to get a larger depth of field allowing more of the flowers to be in focus. Of course you have to remember you just made it so your camera can't capture as much light. In order to remedy this you need to adjust your shutter speed. By slowing down how long your shutter stays open you'll be able to let in the light you lost by closing up your lens with a smaller aperture.

I'd go back with a tripod (or anything to set the camera on) and practice with different settings. Shoot only in manual and see what you get. Take notes with each image so when you get back you can just look at your pad of paper and see what settings acheived what effect.

Hope that helps. I know it was a bit long winded and only some of it made sense. When I first started I almost quit because it was information overload. This forum has helped me tremendously though so stick with it.

 

[Scud]

I think that shot def has potential! I'm new to photography and trying to work on this aswell. What are you shooting with?

 

[Abby Rose]

Thanks all. Great advice!

Ok...

I'm using a Sony H50. It's a point and shoot. Don't judge me. I'll go to a DSLR when I'm ready. Maybe.

EXIF data, no. Sorry. I still havent figured out how to get that. You have to download something off the internet? The aperture was at F/2 ish, I think, or somewhere close. The WB was on what my camera calls "cloudy". I don't know if that means anything to you. :blush2: I dont remember the other data.

I did set my camera on the ground here, but it probably moved a little when I took the picture. I do have a remote, so when I go back I'll use that. Hopefully it will be cloudier then. I'm planning on making a little beanbag too, so that I can set the camera on the right angle without having to hold it when I get down on the ground like this.

I plan to stick with it! I actually feel that I've already learned new things from just reading here. And of course, my 365 forces me to practice every day, so that cant hurt.

 

[pbelarge]

Abby
You most likely have a timer on the camera as well. It may be easier for you.

If you can set the f/stop, try setting at a higher number, that will help you with the dof.

 

[Ron Evers]

Better than a bean bag & not expensive - get one of these:

DealExtreme: $12.18 9-inch Flexible Desktop Digital Camera Tripod - Large (3KG Load Max)


I put a ball head on one for greater flexibility.

 

[kassad]

Nice shot.

 

[Abby Rose]

Thanks.

Eh, you dont think a beanbag would be good for "on the ground" shots? It doesnt look like that one would go that low. The tripod I have now can go almost as short as that one, though without the bendy legs. But here, I literally set the camera on the ground and held the front up so that it would look up at the flowers... I just think a beanbag would be more stable than my hand.

Plus, I'm broke.

 

[Ron Evers]

You can spread the legs out flat to get lower or tie them around a tree limb to get higher.

 

[bazooka]

Technically, the shot isn't great, but it's still a good shot because you're protraying a feeling of care, at least to me. The large protective tree has it's arms cradling the defenseless flower. Maybe you didn't think of all that when you shot, but I bet you felt it too.

 

[indeedies]

Get the bean bag Abbey. I get what you're saying and it makes more sense to have a bean bag for on the ground shots that an extra tripod.

 

[indeedies]

Just took a gander at your 365 project. You have a really good eye for this stuff. I wish I had that ability. I'm not sure how you can improve over what you have with a P&S. I don't know if you have the full control to change your shutter speed or aperture. So while some of the photos are not technically correct you have a ton that are pleasing to look at if you can get past the over/under exposures.