This framing work?

[Ernicus]

You guys think this sort of crop/framing works with large flowers? this one's a pretty big one, a bit larger than a large grapefruit.

I am happy that I finally got the inner parts of the flower in focus, much better than before anyway, but I am not happy with the final product, so it's a tosser. but I wanted to get some input on the crop/framing.

My lighting was really crap and I used a really long exposure...I'm guessing the highlight areas I did in post...'cause they weren't there in original...lol

thanks.


1
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ernicus/7367163148/

or










2
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ernicus/7367163942/

or neither.

 

[Ernicus]

Here is the crap original. I just hit auto in the raw editor so you can see what it looks like untouched. When i edited the raw I got rid of all that yellow. The lighting was an overhead ugly yellow light so i'm not surprised it is ugly. I thought I could make it pretty in the raw editor, but I guess not. Proves theory...crap in...crap out. lol



http://www.flickr.com/photos/ernicus/7367184212/

 

[Joel_W]

Actually, I like the crop. I'm just not crazy about the stark black background. After seeing the original I understand why you went that route in Post.

 

[Ernicus]

Yeah my black backround went yellow. I do have a gray one I could have used and probly should have used. I am going to get some cloths to use eventually so I don't have to use make shift object I find around the house.

 

[Ernicus]

wonder if a really nice green would have been cool. I'm gonna get lots of colors from a fabric store, kinda raid their scraps.

 

[greybeard68 41]

My suggestion.

 

[Ernicus]

hey...I never even thought of that for a background. nice job.

I think I like that crop better too, doesn't seem a "squished" up in the corner

 

[slackercruster]

I like it. (#1)

Nice job, send in more.

 

[sm4him]

Considering that original, I think you did a pretty decent job of making it presentable. I like the black background better than the purple one greybeard used, though--the black at least makes it "pop" a little more. A green might have been good, or perhaps even a complementary yellow.

Since I take it this was an indoor shot, I'm wondering how far away the subject was from the background? I think I'd try to just pull the flower far enough away from the background and then choose an aperture that would still be good enough for full focus on the flower, but help to blur that background. Also, I don't remember if you have an off-camera flash, but some kind of lighting is really helpful on indoor floral photography to help them really "pop." Look at some of sparky's stuff--he posted a helpful series of how-to videos in a recent thread (and if I weren't supposed to be busy working, I'd hunt down the link). The videos were specifically about focus stacking, but the first one or two in particular give you a good idea of how to set up something like this indoors.

 

[greybeard68 41]

hey...I never even thought of that for a background. nice job.

I think I like that crop better too, doesn't seem a "squished" up in the corner

Glad you liked it . The background color was sampled from the bloom and then darkened. I look at the center of the bloom as the point of interest. I placed it in the lower 1/3 position in the crop.

 

[Ernicus]

Here's another I was playing with last night...tweaked too much here and too little there, so it's not quite right..but more fun practicing...


Shrouded by Darkness...I will be seen...

emerged | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[Ernicus]

hey...I never even thought of that for a background. nice job.

I think I like that crop better too, doesn't seem a "squished" up in the corner

I look at the center of the bloom as the point of interest. I placed it in the lower 1/3 position in the crop.

Good tip

 

[Ernicus]

Considering that original, I think you did a pretty decent job of making it presentable. I like the black background better than the purple one greybeard used, though--the black at least makes it "pop" a little more. A green might have been good, or perhaps even a complementary yellow.

Since I take it this was an indoor shot, I'm wondering how far away the subject was from the background? I think I'd try to just pull the flower far enough away from the background and then choose an aperture that would still be good enough for full focus on the flower, but help to blur that background. Also, I don't remember if you have an off-camera flash, but some kind of lighting is really helpful on indoor floral photography to help them really "pop." Look at some of sparky's stuff--he posted a helpful series of how-to videos in a recent thread (and if I weren't supposed to be busy working, I'd hunt down the link). The videos were specifically about focus stacking, but the first one or two in particular give you a good idea of how to set up something like this indoors.

Setup was a quick "what do I have around here" as seen below, lol

 

[Joel_W]

Way too much purple in Greybeard's edit. Both pictures are starting to move away from natural looking, and into more of a commercial type of photograph. The black just adds more class and pop.

Your 2nd picture is really tweaked way too much. Brilliant colors against a black background is eye numbing. Also your composition has the flower dead center in both planes. With the bud in the lower right, you could have moved the flower towards the left. Try a re-edit, soften it up some, and re-compose.

 

[Ernicus]

Not really going for natural looking in these, so that would explain the drift. ;-)

I was thinking of putting flower on left side instead of where it is (in the 2nd one) I think you're right on that one.