Composition C&C

[FireRunner]

Nikon D90 with Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8. Was a little windy, took about 15 minutes to get clean shots. Feedback appreciated.

 

[MTVision]

The background is really distracting. Instead of looking at the flower I keep going back to the clown/scarecrow type thing. The big bright white spot in the right corner is also distracting.
I think it would've looked better to have just the flower or just the bud and of course a less distracting background. It would look really great if you had filled the frame with the flower.
How do you like the macro lens?

 

[WesternGuy]

I agree with what Megan has said ^^^^^ - too much distraction in the background. Need to isolate the flower, as that is what you want the photo to be about - correct?

Cheers,

WesternGuy

 

[tyler_h]

I'll ditto the above; the clown and the flower grab my attention equally - didn't notice the top right so much cause I was too busy looking between the clown and the flower.

 

[FireRunner]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. The background has a small straw scarecrow. I wanted to include it into the shot. Perhaps if both subjects were centered it would be more balanced. Or, if the background was more blurred (though, that would defeat the purpose of having the scarecrow in the background). A macro of just the flower would have been boring (I thought) so I wanted to include the background. The light at the top right is distracting. That's the sunlight, the area I took the photo was in shade.

Good feedback, appreciate it!

 

[Compaq]

In photography you generally want to exclude everything that does not add anything to the shot. This scarecrow does not add anything but distractions. What adds to the composition and what doesn't will come with experience and more threads here.

Remember that our eyes go to the brightest part of the image. Unless that bright spot is the subject, it will only be distracting. This can be a good way to lead our eyes when used correctly.

Also, try and think whether your shot would be best in landscape or portrait orientation. These orientations have really different meanings, and convey different emotions.

 

[analog.universe]

If you wanted to include the background in the shot, I would've gone with a much deeper field so that the background can be in focus. I didn't even realize it was a scarecrow. There is also a lot of contrast in the image, but not placed so that the subject contrasts the background. There is contrast within the background, and within the subject, so it's not immediately obvious where the eyes should go. As others have said, it's generally best to use bright spots to draw attention around the image, so being conscious of where the bright areas will end up will help you visualize effective compositions. I agree with Compaq's subtractive approach. Do what you can to remove from the frame everything that does not contribute to the shot. What contributes and what distracts depends on what you want the subject to be, and where you want the viewers eyes to go.

 

[FireRunner]

Thinking about it now and reading your feedback, I agree I shouldn't included the background in the photo. When I saw this location I immediately had an image of what's above, perhaps I didn't execute my vision correctly. I may, if I can, go back to that location and get a few more shots.

Thanks again for the feedback, always appreciated.

 

[FireRunner]

How do you like the macro lens?

I love this lens, for a while my Nikon 105mm was my favorite lens. But, after several months I found myself using the 60mm more. The photo quality is exceptionally crisp.