Flower Photo with a Nikon d3100 18-55mm

[karissabphotography]

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hpho...63127210_178109925570794_541373_2807113_n.jpg

 

[den9]

the pink flower looks out of focus or unsharp slightly

 

[tirediron]

C&C per req: As mentioned above, there's some missed focus. Remember that when shooting close-up like this, your DoF can be as little as a couple of mm (Refer HERE for more info). The keys are to know where your camera is focusing (I recommend using a single focusing point and manually placing it where you feel the point of critical focus is) and to select an appropriate aperture. Generally something a couple of stops from maximum (eg f11/16) will give you the best overall result. In this case your point of focus was the area at the LH edge.

The other point I would suggest working on is composition. Everyone talks about the "rule" of thirds, which is, at best, a rough guideline. Instead search the term "Golden mean" for a much more in-depth explanation of compositional theory.

In general, when shooting flowers, try and get the whole bloom in the image and ensure that you have maxiumu DoF. Notice the way you've clipped the bottoms of the petals? Moving back just a few inches would have rectified that. Another guideline I suggest, is compose your image in the viewfinder, and then open it up a little bit (step back / zoom out).

Just my $00.02 worth - your mileage may vary.

~John

 

[iNick]

In addition to what the others said i think the lighting is too harsh. Did you use the on camera flash?