Steve'sDigicams

ad:hoc · Nov 30, 2005, 10:59 AM

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030238e.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030250e.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030231e.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030228e.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030227e.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030186e.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030185e.jpg

Please help! I can't seem to get an okay photo of these flowers. I don't know what to focus on or where to put as the main subject. Please ignore some of the blown-out petals as I was a bit too frustrated with these flowers!

danm_cool · Nov 30, 2005, 12:27 PM

try to use the rectangles display mode

or move a little closer and to the right :G

just kidding.... :?

squirl033 · Nov 30, 2005, 1:18 PM

you're trying to get too much into the picture, and it looks overcrowded or "busy", and makes it hard for a viewer to see what your main subject is. just a suggestion, but you might try shooting a smaller part of the flower,just one or two blossoms instead of the whole plant or group of plants. you might have to use macro mode to do this, or perhaps pick a branch to photograph in a vase or something. also, try to isolate one or two blooms, preferably against a shadowy or relatively distant background, so there's contrast in either the focus or the lighting to highlight the flowers. then focus on the closest part of the flower to the lens, using spot mode, and let the camera's DOF do the rest. use a relatively small aperture - f5 or higher -to get clear details, anddon't be afraid to use a tripod if necessary to keep things steady. OIS is a wonderful thing, but it's not perfect, and you're still better off to use a support if shutter speeds are below about 1/125...

ad:hoc · Dec 1, 2005, 12:25 PM

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback. But the is, I just don't know where to frame it. The flowers are so small! They are the ones which are really cluttered. I find it very hard to concentrate on just one bit of it.

Normally i take picture of flowers which are much bigger and less crowded so it's easier to frame. This one is very much of a challenge.

This is one of my better flower shots:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...k/P1010849.jpg

squirl033 · Dec 1, 2005, 12:45 PM

what camera and settings are you using?

it seems your difficulty is mainly due to having too many blooms, too much of the flower in the picture, and it makes it look overcrowded. try isolating a branch, or better still, just a couple of blooms, the way i suggested, and see if that gives you something better to focus on. if that still doesn't work, maybe this isn't the best subject to photograph...

ascaria · Dec 1, 2005, 5:53 PM

If the flowers are small you can always use a macro lens like the Nikon 6T, 5T or similar (Canon 250D, Minolta No. 1,2, etc.)

Nizidramanii · Dec 1, 2005, 6:41 PM

ad:hoc wrote:

Quote:

Hi,

Thanks for the feedback. But the is, I just don't know where to frame it. The flowers are so small! They are the ones which are really cluttered. I find it very hard to concentrate on just one bit of it.

Normally i take picture of flowers which are much bigger and less crowded so it's easier to frame. This one is very much of a challenge.

This is one of my better flower shots:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...k/P1010849.jpg

I really like that picture.

The pictures of your yellow flowers are just way too crowded and they contain too much other "stuff" in the picture such as the pot and concrete.

squirl033 · Dec 1, 2005, 10:17 PM

here's afew examples of what i mean by shooting smaller portions of the plants, or trying different angles andgetting in closer to emphasize one or two blossoms among many. these shots all contain multiple blossoms, and without some sense of focus and perspective, it'd be impossible to tell where the focal point of the picture is.

in the first, the shot was taken from nearly the end of the branch, not quite straight on, to bring the first few blossoms into focus while the rest faded into a blur in the background...

in this case, there were a ton of blossoms all over the shrub, but i got close and used macro settings and a close-up lens to focus on one bloom, even though there are others in the photo, the one in the middle is clearly the object of attention...

here's one more. these crocuses were quite close together, and in a top-down shot, it would've been hard to pick out the subject of the shot. by shooting from close up, and changing the angle, you can add perspective and depth, and clearly establish which flower is the focal point of the picture.

experiment with different viewpoints and angles. get in close, shoot from the end of a branch, pick one and isolate it so you can shot against a contrasting and/or distant background. there's alot ofways to geta goodcomposition with flowers, you just need to try different ones till you get the result you want.

Bootneck2 · Dec 3, 2005, 1:13 AM

Squirl - those flower pictures are out of this world. I would have been very proud to have taken them.

Oh Well! Back on the learning curve

ad:hoc · Dec 3, 2005, 12:02 PM

Thanks for feedback.

I will try again with a single branch. I know going up real close can solve some of the problems, but IMO it would destroy the significance of these clusters of blooms.

I do know how to take photos of flowers, but this overcrowding one has struck me hard. There are just too many flowers!!

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Nov 30, 2005, 10:59 AM	#1
ad:hoc Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 5	http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030238e.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030250e.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030231e.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030228e.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030227e.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030186e.jpg http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2.../P1030185e.jpg Please help! I can't seem to get an okay photo of these flowers. I don't know what to focus on or where to put as the main subject. Please ignore some of the blown-out petals as I was a bit too frustrated with these flowers!

Nov 30, 2005, 12:27 PM	#2
danm_cool Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 29	try to use the rectangles display mode or move a little closer and to the right :G just kidding.... :?

Nov 30, 2005, 1:18 PM	#3
squirl033 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,915	you're trying to get too much into the picture, and it looks overcrowded or "busy", and makes it hard for a viewer to see what your main subject is. just a suggestion, but you might try shooting a smaller part of the flower,just one or two blossoms instead of the whole plant or group of plants. you might have to use macro mode to do this, or perhaps pick a branch to photograph in a vase or something. also, try to isolate one or two blooms, preferably against a shadowy or relatively distant background, so there's contrast in either the focus or the lighting to highlight the flowers. then focus on the closest part of the flower to the lens, using spot mode, and let the camera's DOF do the rest. use a relatively small aperture - f5 or higher -to get clear details, anddon't be afraid to use a tripod if necessary to keep things steady. OIS is a wonderful thing, but it's not perfect, and you're still better off to use a support if shutter speeds are below about 1/125...

Dec 1, 2005, 12:25 PM	#4
ad:hoc Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 5	Hi, Thanks for the feedback. But the is, I just don't know where to frame it. The flowers are so small! They are the ones which are really cluttered. I find it very hard to concentrate on just one bit of it. Normally i take picture of flowers which are much bigger and less crowded so it's easier to frame. This one is very much of a challenge. This is one of my better flower shots: http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...k/P1010849.jpg

Dec 1, 2005, 12:45 PM	#5
squirl033 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,915	what camera and settings are you using? it seems your difficulty is mainly due to having too many blooms, too much of the flower in the picture, and it makes it look overcrowded. try isolating a branch, or better still, just a couple of blooms, the way i suggested, and see if that gives you something better to focus on. if that still doesn't work, maybe this isn't the best subject to photograph...

Dec 1, 2005, 5:53 PM	#6
ascaria Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 87	If the flowers are small you can always use a macro lens like the Nikon 6T, 5T or similar (Canon 250D, Minolta No. 1,2, etc.)

Dec 1, 2005, 10:17 PM	#8
squirl033 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,915	here's afew examples of what i mean by shooting smaller portions of the plants, or trying different angles andgetting in closer to emphasize one or two blossoms among many. these shots all contain multiple blossoms, and without some sense of focus and perspective, it'd be impossible to tell where the focal point of the picture is. in the first, the shot was taken from nearly the end of the branch, not quite straight on, to bring the first few blossoms into focus while the rest faded into a blur in the background... in this case, there were a ton of blossoms all over the shrub, but i got close and used macro settings and a close-up lens to focus on one bloom, even though there are others in the photo, the one in the middle is clearly the object of attention... here's one more. these crocuses were quite close together, and in a top-down shot, it would've been hard to pick out the subject of the shot. by shooting from close up, and changing the angle, you can add perspective and depth, and clearly establish which flower is the focal point of the picture. experiment with different viewpoints and angles. get in close, shoot from the end of a branch, pick one and isolate it so you can shot against a contrasting and/or distant background. there's alot ofways to geta goodcomposition with flowers, you just need to try different ones till you get the result you want.

Dec 3, 2005, 1:13 AM	#9
Bootneck2 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 194	Squirl - those flower pictures are out of this world. I would have been very proud to have taken them. Oh Well! Back on the learning curve

Dec 3, 2005, 12:02 PM	#10
ad:hoc Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 5	Thanks for feedback. I will try again with a single branch. I know going up real close can solve some of the problems, but IMO it would destroy the significance of these clusters of blooms. I do know how to take photos of flowers, but this overcrowding one has struck me hard. There are just too many flowers!!