Macro photography of flowers

[gwerha]

Hello.

I took some flowers and ants all through the house! Hug::.)

I'd be happy to receive constructive comments

 

[Chriss]

To me they all look out of focus and I dislike how you chopped off the tops/bottoms of the flowers. What kind of lens did you use for this? With a macro lens you should be able to get much much closer.

 

[gwerha]

To me they all look out of focus and I dislike how you chopped off the tops/bottoms of the flowers. What kind of lens did you use for this? With a macro lens you should be able to get much much closer.

I use 50D ef-s 17-85mm is

 

[Snow]

Next time try a different point of view, or closer as you can get, take your time on focusing with a tripod. So thats what i would do :]

 

[cnutco]

I agree with Chriss but, I do like the last picture of the ant.

 

[Mulewings~]

For macros the big 'Wow' factor is crispness of the image. You did get that with the ant, but the others are a bit soft and a bit colorless. Perhaps slightly overexposed.

Keep up the practice and keep working on it.
This is the only way to learn.
Plus, enjoy.

 

[Tulsa]

I do not think these are true Macro. The last one is probably the best, the others are just not sharp enough.

 

[Overread21]

Lets not slip into false assumptions here
"Most macro shots are sharp" does not equate that "Macro photography is sharp photography"
Whilst many macro shooters do strive for very sharp images and most take great delight in capturing the ultra fine resolutions that show up intricate details that does not mean that every macro shot need to be as such. Just like in all other forms of photography there is scope for other visions and creations beyone pure sharpness alone.

True macro photography (for those interested) is when the image as reflected on the camera sensor is the same size as the subject is in real life. So if you have a 2mm ant the image that is reflected onto the camera sensor is 2mm in size. This is called 1:1 (true) macro. The lens you are using is getting down to around 1:2 macro - which is half life size - the subject in real life is around half its actual size as reflected on the sensor.
However photography of flowers as you have here, whislt correctly being close up photography rather than macro, is often generally accepted as macro by most people under a loose definition - the same was as most butterfly and dragonfly images are even though most of those subjects are far too big to fully fit into a 1:1 macro shot.

Also Mulewings - I think you might want to turn the brightness down on your monitor - unless your overexposure comment was aimed at the last image alone (which is not too bad but does have some very hot spots) the others don't look overexposed to me at all. Unless you possibly mean they are underexposed a little?

Right onto the photographs
Shot 1: I have to say I like this and I think its the strongest shot you've shown in this set. The exposure is maybe a little underexposed, but you've captured the lighting on the flower well, its diffused (maybe a cloud over the sun or in the shade) an that means we can see the details in the leaves and see their proper colours. You might want to give the contrast of the shot a little increase just to give it a little more impact as the smooth lighting has somewhat flattened the shot.
Focus and depth of field look good but it might be a little central (it kind of works for this shot though I feel) in compostion

Shots 2, 3 and 4
Far different ball game here with these 3 images, the focus is generally landing in the right place, but you are clipping parts of the flowers off in each case, which looks untidy. Further there is some softness to some of them (shot 2 for example). This does not appear to be a case of missing the focus, but I suspect its possibly using a shutter speed that was too slow to stop either handshake and/or subject motion. The fact that parts of the flowers are being clipped out makes me think there might have been some wind which moved them around. Wind is right pain and something you just have to be patient with and either wait for the subject to appear in the right place and take the shot; come back another less windy day; or try to counter the wind by using a windbreak or sticks and plant ties to hold the flowers in positon (making sure not to show these in the final image and to also not damage the plant whilst taking them.