close ups c&c

[t_hayat]

Please go easy on these, I took some close up shots at a recent birthday party, the first time I've really tried to make anything out of them. Any and all suggestions as to how I could improve are very welcome, posts that simply tell me they're not good are not so welcome.

1.

what is a rose, really by t_hayat, on Flickr

2.

what is a rose, really by t_hayat, on Flickr

3.

birthdays by t_hayat, on Flickr

 

[LuckySe7en]

They all look underexposed. I like them though, nice and sharp. Did you do any post work?

 

[t_hayat]

Yes, I touched them up a bit in Lightroom, nothing major though. Also thanks for bringing up the exposure, I meant to ask about that in my original post. According to the histogram, the exposure is correct for all the photos, but then you say they look underexposed. How should I gauge exposure to get an accurate result?

 

[JessicaLynn]

#3 is making me hungry.... :greenpbl:

 

[The_Traveler]

A histogram shows the distribution of all shades as they exist but you have to decide where the tones should be for the best image.

 

[t_hayat]

I also took some photos of the same flowers in different lighting:

4.
DSC_0123 by t_hayat, on Flickr

5.

sun kissed by t_hayat, on Flickr

how are these ones?