Spring Blossom C&C

AnCatDubh

ok, here goes - someone told me i should be pimping more (don't know if i should be offended or not) I finally picked up the camera again to see what I could remember and set myself a task to take at least one respectable shot based on predefined objectives.

I appreciate it won't be everyone's cup of tea but how and ever - ta-da....



So my objective was to take a classic theme of having a foreground, middle, and background however trying to use nice depth of field to maintain the middle in focus whilst obscuring but keeping identifiable the foreground and background.

Oh yeah the other objective i set myself was to take a daffodil which i guess kinda didn't work out too well

Setup f1.7 50mm prime / manual focus - While i love the lens i'm still struggling with the manual focus as i think can be seen in the image - the bud in the middle is the intended focal point / consequence of the branch at same distance being in focus also but i think the bud is a little soft (?).

Not much processing - Silkypix used. A small amount of crop - i thought a 16x9 looked nice (other suggestions?) and I up'd the contrast a little. That was about it i think.

One part that bothers me slightly is the darkness of the left hand side of the image which basically was the side of a red brick pilliar and consequently in the shadow. Yes i could crop it out but then i'd lose my foreground(!)

Anyhow, nothing too serious but if anyone cares to comment it would be appreciated.

Cheers.

Thirdfox

Forgive me for leaving such a hasty C&C (my land law exam is in 10 hours time!!!!!)

But:
1. Background is a bit distracting, maybe you could shift and look for a better angle?
2. The flower seems a bit too centred for me - rule of thirds doesn't always work but I think it might in this instance.
3. Flower itself seems to be lit unevenly - I would have loved to have seen a little bit of fill-flash to lift the shadows a bit.
4. Flower itself doesn't seem to be in full bloom yet - maybe wait a few more days? Or get it from a different angle that best shows off its particular style - small clusters vs. large solitary flower.

Sorry about the overall negativity - there's lots I liked too - but constructive criticism will be more beneficial right? I'm sure others will tell you about what they liked

Back to study!!!! (I'm stressed out majorly right now...)

Fajitas!

Right, my C&C is not 100%. I'm just back from the pub with Roen, and we got 2 for 1 spirits.... along with a few pints.

I do like the image. I think switching it over to portrait could enhance it though.

I wouldn't be too worried about where people think you're focusing, I could see straight away you were going for that plant. If anything, I'd up the clarity a bit. Switching to portrait would suit the darkness on the right, aswell as the top of the leaves having a slight shadow - I wouldn't use fill flash, at most, I'd pop in a reflector, but I really don't mind the shadow.

I really like the bokeh, but again, portrait crop will bring it out more.

(I've turned my laptop on it's side )

Oriel

Fajitas! wrote: »

I think switching it over to portrait could enhance it though.

Good God man no! Wait, do - you mean switching the framing or the final image? I presume you mean the final image?
Certainly a tighter crop would help, as well as a better lens.

Fajitas!

I meant "rotate 90 degree's" - Looking at it without the beer goggles, I think some more contrast would make a big difference.

AnCatDubh

Thanks folks. Hope I didn't keep too many students from their exam study and men from drinking Some interesting suggestions there worthy of further consideration.

Cheers.

elven

Fajitas! wrote: »

Looking at it without the beer goggles, I think some more contrast would make a big difference.

Someone take that black slider off him, quick, before he does some real damage!!!

I've been eyeing up a tree with that colour of blossom every morning on my way to work, now you're just winding me up by posting this

I know you said you didn't want to lose the foreground but I'm not seeing any benefit from having the out of focus branch at the left, especially on the dark area. The colour of the wall behind the blossom is quite nice, and the darkness on either side, well, it stresses me out a bit. i want to look at the blossom in the middle but the dark bits are dragging my eyes off it. I think you've got a square crop there, if i'm honest...

In terms of the depth of field, how come you wanted to keep the background recognisable? Something's gone a bit funny in the bokeh and with a main subject (the bloom in the middle) that's already got a lot going on around it, I think it would benefit from having as smooth a background as possible.

But, then it'd be my picture not yours.... and this is why I don't usually comment

Calina

AnCatDubh, I hope you don't mind...

here's what I would suggest. Forget Fajita's advice to rotate the photograph 90 deg. I'd crop it right and left if you do not have principled objections against the use of the virtual scissors. I think a square crop could be very nice with this.

I do however, agree that the colours are a little flat and that perhaps the contrast could be upped a little. I also realise that it might be difficult to get that right with the brick background.

Seems to be a very shallow DOF on the photograph and my brain - which is admittedly a little tired - is arguing with itself about focus. I appreciate you were on manual focus but yes, it seems to me that the main subject of the photograph is soft compared to other parts of the photograph.

I do like the lighting, however.

AnCatDubh

Thanks you guys. I guess the whole foreground/middle/background was what i was really after but did have my own concerns with the final result (around the dark areas of the image). As ye have suggested - it scrubs up well with a very tight crop as a 'middle' only image - i had tried this at 4x6 before originally posting but square might work too. Though a retake might be in order as i wouldn't have enough pixels remaining of the original image with such a tight crop to do anything further with.

Elven - Keeping the background recognisable was around keeping some context i.e. the blossom didn't just float in mid air, but i take the point on board that perhaps it would be better left simple not wrecking the viewers heads! May have gone a little overboard on the DOF allright Calina - eh,, its a feature and not a flaw(?) It would be one of my many failings is an admiration for depth of field (even to excess!).

All good advice folks and what's better is that its also thought provoking.

Many thanks.