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RodneyBlair · Mar 20, 2005, 7:36 PM

Am I improving my technique or getting worse? :-)

Your thoughts are appreciated.

Rodney

photosbyvito · Mar 20, 2005, 9:26 PM

hmm..the composition looks good here, the angle, and the background...

but the image doesn't look very sharp...

did you use a tripod?

Vito

RodneyBlair · Mar 20, 2005, 9:57 PM

Sorry about the sharpness. I downsized it a bit for posting here and lost some detail. Attached is a larger version.

I'm not sure what good a tripod will be when shooting with fast shutter speeds.

Rodney

photosbyvito · Mar 20, 2005, 10:10 PM

i didn't think it would help much either....but i never shoot without one..

alright fine...never is a strong word :-p, but i rarely shoot without a tripod...

try it out...even try it with a self timer...or remote! it really helps!

also, which camera are you using for these? i think you should use your dSLR..just to get highest possible quality...

Vito

RodneyBlair · Mar 20, 2005, 10:59 PM

photosbyvito wrote:

Quote:

i didn't think it would help much either....but i never shoot without one..

alright fine...never is a strong word :-p, but i rarely shoot without a tripod...

try it out...even try it with a self timer...or remote! it really helps!

also, which camera are you using for these? i think you should use your dSLR..just to get highest possible quality...

Vito

oops...wrong resample method!

RodneyBlair · Mar 21, 2005, 1:10 AM

RodneyBlair wrote:

Quote:

photosbyvito wrote:

Quote:

i didn't think it would help much either....but i never shoot without one..

alright fine...never is a strong word :-p, but i rarely shoot without a tripod...

try it out...even try it with a self timer...or remote! it really helps!

also, which camera are you using for these? i think you should use your dSLR..just to get highest possible quality...

Vito

oops...wrong resample method!

Vito,

I didn't have time to respond to your messages earlier so I posted the pics and little comments.

I'm a people photographer and don't really get into shooting flora or landscapes, but decided to do a few to encourage others to practice shooting whatever it is they like to shoot. I decided on the flowers because it is something I don't normally shoot or care to. Of course, it is a bit of a challenge so that has increased my interest.

My lens collection is more for portraits and I'm using a lower quality glass for this particular series. I have a sharp 60mm lens, but didn't have it with me, but that is fine because I'm not attempting to capture every detail of the flower. Instead, I'm attempting more of an artistic rendering...how my eyes see it from a few feet away. For this reason, I want a bit of a softer look.

So far, the only flowers I've had the opportunity to shoot are very small and just a few inches above the ground. I have to lay on the ground and get within a couple inches of the flower to get the shot...I'm sure I'll have better luck with something larger and higher off the ground. Tulips will be the next flower I have available to shoot so I'll see how I do there.

For now, my main objective it to learn the effects of different lighting conditions.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Rodney

RodneyBlair · Mar 21, 2005, 9:59 AM

Here is another. I'm not so sure about the shadows. Your thoughts?

Rodney

berto · Mar 21, 2005, 11:30 AM

rodney,

out of all the flowers you posted.. the first one up top looks the most natural 'cept the red part of the flower. it seems like the color bled and spread out(unless that was your purpose). the rest seem more saturated though.

the last one reminds me of shooting with those 1.3mp cameras- the color rendition is just weird.

well, thats how i see it anyway.

RodneyBlair · Mar 21, 2005, 11:54 AM

Hello Bert,

Number 1, 2 and 3 are the same image. The size and resample method is the only difference. I wasn't aware that the resample method returned to it's default setting. UGH! The color is orange and it is bright.

Though not as vibrant as previous attempts, the last image is color accurate. Even the warmth of the setting sun is quite obvious in this one. The age of the flower and lighting are factors. I could have bumped up the saturation, but I was more interested in this look. The background elements are a mixture of dirt and other growth.

I'm not attempting a natural look. I'm more interested in artistic renderings.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Rodney

peripatetic · Mar 21, 2005, 1:13 PM

The light is nice and the background is fine. As to whether you're improving - it seems that all your flower shots have been good. A macro ring flash would get rid of the shadows, but I don't find them intrusive.

You could doubtless do something different under controlled lighting with a tent but for outdoor shots they're all pretty good.

I think it's more difficult taking pretty shots of flowers that have their faces turned towards the ground. (I don't know the technical term I'm afraid.)

In this picture the flower itself looks a bit tatty. You mention that you chose an aged flower specifically, but I'm not sure that flowers age gracefully, it looks a bit sad to me. Is that the effect you were going for, with an echo of the beauty that was but a hint of the death to come?

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Mar 20, 2005, 7:36 PM	#1
RodneyBlair Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 966	Am I improving my technique or getting worse? :-) Your thoughts are appreciated. Rodney

Mar 20, 2005, 9:26 PM	#2
photosbyvito Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 5,710	hmm..the composition looks good here, the angle, and the background... but the image doesn't look very sharp... did you use a tripod? Vito

Mar 20, 2005, 9:57 PM	#3
RodneyBlair Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 966	Sorry about the sharpness. I downsized it a bit for posting here and lost some detail. Attached is a larger version. I'm not sure what good a tripod will be when shooting with fast shutter speeds. Rodney

Mar 20, 2005, 10:10 PM	#4
photosbyvito Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 5,710	i didn't think it would help much either....but i never shoot without one.. alright fine...never is a strong word :-p, but i rarely shoot without a tripod... try it out...even try it with a self timer...or remote! it really helps! also, which camera are you using for these? i think you should use your dSLR..just to get highest possible quality... Vito

Mar 21, 2005, 9:59 AM	#7
RodneyBlair Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 966	Here is another. I'm not so sure about the shadows. Your thoughts? Rodney

Mar 21, 2005, 11:30 AM	#8
berto Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 384	rodney, out of all the flowers you posted.. the first one up top looks the most natural 'cept the red part of the flower. it seems like the color bled and spread out(unless that was your purpose). the rest seem more saturated though. the last one reminds me of shooting with those 1.3mp cameras- the color rendition is just weird. well, thats how i see it anyway.

Mar 21, 2005, 11:54 AM	#9
RodneyBlair Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 966	Hello Bert, Number 1, 2 and 3 are the same image. The size and resample method is the only difference. I wasn't aware that the resample method returned to it's default setting. UGH! The color is orange and it is bright. Though not as vibrant as previous attempts, the last image is color accurate. Even the warmth of the setting sun is quite obvious in this one. The age of the flower and lighting are factors. I could have bumped up the saturation, but I was more interested in this look. The background elements are a mixture of dirt and other growth. I'm not attempting a natural look. I'm more interested in artistic renderings. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Rodney

Mar 21, 2005, 1:13 PM	#10
peripatetic Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 3,599	The light is nice and the background is fine. As to whether you're improving - it seems that all your flower shots have been good. A macro ring flash would get rid of the shadows, but I don't find them intrusive. You could doubtless do something different under controlled lighting with a tent but for outdoor shots they're all pretty good. I think it's more difficult taking pretty shots of flowers that have their faces turned towards the ground. (I don't know the technical term I'm afraid.) In this picture the flower itself looks a bit tatty. You mention that you chose an aged flower specifically, but I'm not sure that flowers age gracefully, it looks a bit sad to me. Is that the effect you were going for, with an echo of the beauty that was but a hint of the death to come?