This is the first of a couple of macro shots that I took in our local park, both of which started out as more as experiments than anything else. Much as I like my camera, like all digital compacts it has a massive depth of field compared to an SLR, and while this is great for some shots, it’s irritating when you want to isolate a subject by using a shallow DOF. That said, the macro mode does a much better job of limiting the DOF as this shot testifies.
As for this shot: while I prefer the one I’m going to put up tomorrow, I like the vibrancy and composition of this one though do think it would probably have been more appealing had it been less cluttered.
camera capture date aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO focal length image quality white balance
Canon G5
4.29pm on 2/5/04
f4.0
1/400
aperture priority
+0.0
evaluative
50
28.8mm
RAW
auto
Well I wanted to try it.. in fact I saw a field of flowers today and thought.. I wonder what people would say if I went and layed down in that field of flowers and took a picture at ground level?... did I care? Well.. I have no picture. lol. ack.
I love the DOF in this.. the colorful red brings out the flower really nicely. Can't wait to see tomorrows. now.. did you lay down or did you put the camera at ground level?
comment by sw at 04:59 AM (GMT) on 5 May, 2004
Your photos are incredible--i'm still trying to get my breath back. Do you sell prints?
Tudy: I was sat down. The Canon G5 has a tilt/swivel LCD so it's possible to frame a shot from different angles.
Jessyel: despite being able to compose with the LCD it was a very bright afternoon and the reflected glare made it difficult to see the screen clearly. Nearly all the shots I took have either some extra clutter that I didn't see at the time, or could have been framed better. That said, the only way I could have got a 'clean' shot would have been to start pulling out bits of surrounding grass and extra flower heads, and I don't really like ripping out bits of the world just for the sake of a shot.
Fred: hopefully you'll prefer tomorrow's shot.
comment by djn1 at 08:17 AM (GMT) on 5 May, 2004
sw: yes, I do. Drop me an email and we can discuss it.
comment bySimon C at 09:03 AM (GMT) on 5 May, 2004
I find myself taking quite a few flower shots. Not because I'm particularly attracted to them, but rather because they are there to be taken. I find that the ones that work best are those taken from an interesting perspective - and getting down amongst it as you've done here often works well - as it has with this photo. A bit of naturalistic clutter isn't necessarily a bad thing, the only real negative here is that big blade of green across the top right. I also find that the nature of the background plays a very significant part in a successful flower shot. That patch of red provides a good contrast to the flower and is a natural compliment to the green - it defintely adds something to the result.
Raj: no, it's not a plugin. It's an effect I (over)use quite frequently. Create a duplicate layer, Gaussian blur it, then set the blend mode to overlay. Having said all that it didn't actually make all that much difference to this shot; i.e. it glowed of it's own accord - I just added to it a bit. Come back tomorrow and look at the second shot I took. It has a similar feel to it but I didn't do much in PS other than boost the contrast and up the saturation.
Simon: I agree, the blade of grass is a bit distracting.
This is the first of a couple of macro shots that I took in our local park, both of which started out as more as experiments than anything else. Much as I like my camera, like all digital compacts it has a massive depth of field compared to an SLR, and while this is great for some shots, it’s irritating when you want to isolate a subject by using a shallow DOF. That said, the macro mode does a much better job of limiting the DOF as this shot testifies.
As for this shot: while I prefer the one I’m going to put up tomorrow, I like the vibrancy and composition of this one though do think it would probably have been more appealing had it been less cluttered.
capture date
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
focal length
image quality
white balance
4.29pm on 2/5/04
f4.0
1/400
aperture priority
+0.0
evaluative
50
28.8mm
RAW
auto
not your usual post but lovely as always :-)
something I could've done lol and that makes me feel a great photographer ;-)
~~
Well I wanted to try it.. in fact I saw a field of flowers today and thought.. I wonder what people would say if I went and layed down in that field of flowers and took a picture at ground level?... did I care? Well.. I have no picture. lol. ack.
I love the DOF in this.. the colorful red brings out the flower really nicely. Can't wait to see tomorrows. now.. did you lay down or did you put the camera at ground level?
Your photos are incredible--i'm still trying to get my breath back. Do you sell prints?
Great contrast, saturation, depth of field, and 'glow' in this one. I would've liked to have seen all of the flower on the right side, however.
c'mon, you can do wayyy better than that.
Fred
Thanks.
Tudy: I was sat down. The Canon G5 has a tilt/swivel LCD so it's possible to frame a shot from different angles.
Jessyel: despite being able to compose with the LCD it was a very bright afternoon and the reflected glare made it difficult to see the screen clearly. Nearly all the shots I took have either some extra clutter that I didn't see at the time, or could have been framed better. That said, the only way I could have got a 'clean' shot would have been to start pulling out bits of surrounding grass and extra flower heads, and I don't really like ripping out bits of the world just for the sake of a shot.
Fred: hopefully you'll prefer tomorrow's shot.
sw: yes, I do. Drop me an email and we can discuss it.
I find myself taking quite a few flower shots. Not because I'm particularly attracted to them, but rather because they are there to be taken. I find that the ones that work best are those taken from an interesting perspective - and getting down amongst it as you've done here often works well - as it has with this photo. A bit of naturalistic clutter isn't necessarily a bad thing, the only real negative here is that big blade of green across the top right. I also find that the nature of the background plays a very significant part in a successful flower shot. That patch of red provides a good contrast to the flower and is a natural compliment to the green - it defintely adds something to the result.
As much as I love this shot, the PS effects seem too obvious. But overall, I love the glow. Is it a Diffuse Glow filter?
hmmm... I really like this one. :o)
Yes! The spring is there!
And here the winner is comming with big waves and rain... :-(
What a beautiful flower.
Great color, I can feel spring is here now ^_^
~verrrrrrrrrry nice~
Thanks all.
Raj: no, it's not a plugin. It's an effect I (over)use quite frequently. Create a duplicate layer, Gaussian blur it, then set the blend mode to overlay. Having said all that it didn't actually make all that much difference to this shot; i.e. it glowed of it's own accord - I just added to it a bit. Come back tomorrow and look at the second shot I took. It has a similar feel to it but I didn't do much in PS other than boost the contrast and up the saturation.
Simon: I agree, the blade of grass is a bit distracting.
i like the angle of this shot-- like you were rolling around in the grass and looked up. the blur is nice, too.
I love it.
love the green saturation here.