Lilly Flower | Color & B&W | C&C Please!

[macpro88]

IMG_3579 by macpro88, on Flickr




IMG_3579_BW by macpro88, on Flickr



Which one is your favorite and why? What could have been done differently to make these shots better (including PP)?

Thanks everyone!

 

[digital flower]

IMG_3579 by macpro88, on Flickr




IMG_3579_BW by macpro88, on Flickr



Which one is your favorite and why? What could have been done differently to make these shots better (including PP)?

Thanks everyone!

Well I think the black and white is better. Not PP but it might have been better to circle in front of the flower a little more to try and get some of those front petals (The one closest to the camera a little more in focus.

 

[WesternGuy]

I prefer the coloured one. There is not enough contrast in the black and white one for me. The other thing is that very little of your image is in focus and you should be able to get the focus with the camera/lens combination that you have.
______________
WesternGuy

 

[joinebee]

cool nice

 

[macpro88]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I was trying to get only the (pistol?) and the pollen part (don't remember too much of the flower anatomy lol) in focus, in effect I was trying to make seem like those parts are just peeking out like to say "hey, what's up?"

I'll play with the contrast on the B&W a bit.

Maybe go with a tighter crop on the pic to cut some of the top and bottom off and really focus on the center of the image?

 

[greybeard]

I personally prefer the color shot.

 

[sm4him]

First, if I remember MY flower anatomy:
The whole of the inside "parts" is the pistil. The little white "stem" in your photo is the anther (and filament) and the yellow part is the stigma. Not to sound like a nerd (oops, too late!), but if you're going to do much floral photography it does help to know what to call the parts. Google "flower anatomy" or "flower parts" and you'll find some good diagrams to refresh your memory.
EDIT: Actually, I misspoke. The anther and filament together make up the stamen. The REST of the innards (stigma, style, ovary and ovule) make up the pistil.

I get what you were going for in these photos, and I applaud your efforts to find a fresh perspective instead of just pointing at the flower and shooting. However, these don't really work for me for several reasons. This is all simply MY opinion, which is worth about half of what you're paying for it.
1. Just not enough contrast in the b&w, as others have said.
2. The orientation of these doesn't really work for me. It just makes me want to turn my head sideways.
3. Where you have chosen to crop the flower, for me, is kinda similar to cutting a person's limbs off in a photo. You've included enough of the flower that it really just looks like you accidentally cut the bottom part off. Either include the whole flower or make the crop more extreme. As is, I just want to see the rest of the flower.
4. When you're trying to get these "interior shots" as I think of them, where the anther and stigma are in focus and the rest of the flower is blurred, a different angle would really be helpful. If you want BOTH the anther and the stigma in focus, then you either have to get them both on the same focal plan, OR use an aperture that will get them both in focus. If you use a small enough aperture to get them both in focus though, you may end up with more of the flower in focus than you want. In this case, because only the stigma is in focus, I don't think it accomplishes the effect you were going for. Just experiment with different angles and different apertures and see what kind of results you get.

 

[Joel_W]

I much prefer the color redention rather then the B&W image, for reason as others have already mentioned. Just not enough contrast that makes the decision to go B*W questionable. The photo unfortunately is bland an uninteresting. The color version just isn't a very pleasing composition, as the side shot has everything basically out of focus except the Pistil and Stamen, which are nearly dead center, and just too small to hold ones interest. The Background while being OOF, suffers from the extreme contrast of the white and green being as eye catching as the Pistil and Stamen.

 

[macpro88]

Thanks @sm4him! Appreciate the feedback, will deff take it to consideration next time shooting. And I'll deff have to brush up on my anatomy lol.

As far as focusing goes, still a n00b to the whole DSLR and still learning, but is there a way to get the whole flower in focus, with the blurred background? Is this controlled by the aperture I use or the focusing system? For instance, can I use or tell the camera to use, multiple focus points even when certain parts of the flower are on different planes (Did I use that correctly?)? Am I trying to refer to "infinity" focusing but too close to subject?

Thanks again!

 

[Joel_W]

DOF is a function of distance to the subject, focal length of the lens, and Aperture. For a given lens/ distance to the subject, the higher the Aperture number, the greater the DOF.

 

[macpro88]

DOF is a function of distance to the subject, focal length of the lens, and Aperture. For a given lens/ distance to the subject, the higher the Aperture number, the greater the DOF.

Thank you, that's what I thought and knew from reading up, so if I would have stopped down some more, I could have gotten more of the flower in focus?

 

[Joel_W]

All other factors remaining the same, yes, the DOF will increase as you stop down the lens. You can download tables to help you.

 

[Bynx]

Whether its in color or B&W, most of your image is out of focus. If you want to try this again try focus stacking and you will have a pretty nice shot.