Macro comp advice.... No Judges please

[Richard T]

Had another go this weekend and come up with these....

Although am having a bit if a dilema deciding on my best shot.

Are any of these better than my current shot. I really like the first shot here and the gerbera though I also like the shots with the water droplets

thanks in advance

 

[glitch]

The first shot is probably the best, but it's not perfect by any means. It could very well be the horrible monitor I'm currently sat on, but the white seems overexposed and there's no detail of the petals. Maybe it's just what I'm seeing or how you intended it, but it doesn't look right. Not too sure about the area of unfilled space between the petals at the bottom middle (the colour doesn't look right) and I can't see the focal point of the image.

I do like the peice of gossamer on the anthers and the textures on the petals where they fade into lilac, but my eye is being drawn towards that large expanse of whiteness and it's rather distracting.

The second is a pleasing shot, full of detail, but I'm finding there's maybe too much detail for my eyes to take in. Possibly personal preference, but the section in the bottom right is really drawing my eye away from the rest of the frame and the detail of the pollen on the anthers and the colour elswehere in the frame.

Personally I'd never put anything in sharp focus towards the corner of a frame as I think it's distracting to the viewer, but I guess that's my own taste and people may find the shot to be appealing. I'd rather see a small banding of sharp focus in flower macros than a large wedge.

The darker green background in the third and fourth is better suited than the lighter colour in the first and the detail on the petals is a pleasing addition, but the lighting is too harsh and the overall effect of the water droplets too messy. There's some very bright white spots dotted around which are distracting and I'm struggling to find the focal point of each image - I think you need a tighter area of focus on both.

The fifth shot is the best by a country mile and shows some real quality. It's bright, vivid and punchy, has a defined focal point and is nice and sharp. Unfortunately there's a big black spot at the bottom right which is pulling my eye away from the anthers and stigma and there are some dirty spots and light spots over the petals that need cloning out.

Re-shoot the fifth with a slightly smaller aperture to get the back two anthers in sharp focus, avoid the black spot (base of a petal?) and clone out the dark and light specs - that'll give you a beautiful shot of a tulip and will be a great improvement over your current flower macro.

 

[Richard T]

wow Glitch.... now thats some feedback!

Its strange, I thought the tulip shot was by far the weakest. I did have a lot of trouble with the tulip shots as the wind kept on moving them about. I had no luck with the red tulip shots at all.

I must spend more time checking my images for blemishes and compositional probs as in the tulip with the petal in the bottom left

I do find macro shots really hard and time consuming but I will have another go this week as I'm on the early shift and will get home in time

 

[dod]

Its strange, I thought the tulip shot was by far the weakest.

I'd agree, I think it is the weakest, first for me in those.

 

[glitch]

Is that alright for you? Does it all sort of make sense?

As for the tulip shot, I really, really like it. Really. The best flower macros are the simplest (at least in my mind) and that's a beauty. It just needs some thinking through before reshooting and you'll be there.

I always carry a selection of soft brushes with me when I'm out and about (for various reasons...!) which help when you find a suitable subject and it's all covered in dust/pollen/etc. A quick brush and a burst of air from my rocket blower and the flower is back to its best. Any other blemishes can be removed during PP - you might not notice a 'perfect' flower macro but you'll sure notice an imperfect one.

As for the wind, try one of these. They can be had for around £25 online (or cheaper if you make you own one from parts available from somewhere like Screwfix) and help stop your chosen subject swaying in the breeze.

 

[Colin_da_Killer]

I do not like #5 at all really, so I guess that that type of shot really is just a matter of opinion.

#2 is by far the best of the bunch for me!

 

[Richard T]

Is that alright for you? Does it all sort of make sense?

As for the tulip shot, I really, really like it. Really. The best flower macros are the simplest (at least in my mind) and that's a beauty. It just needs some thinking through before reshooting and you'll be there.

I always carry a selection of soft brushes with me when I'm out and about (for various reasons...!) which help when you find a suitable subject and it's all covered in dust/pollen/etc. A quick brush and a burst of air from my rocket blower and the flower is back to its best. Any other blemishes can be removed during PP - you might not notice a 'perfect' flower macro but you'll sure notice an imperfect one.

As for the wind, try one of these. They can be had for around £25 online (or cheaper if you make you own one from parts available from somewhere like Screwfix) and help stop your chosen subject swaying in the breeze.

thanks for that.

The Plamp cool or what!!

thanks for the other comments guys

 

[cmt]

number 2 for me, very good use of DOF and texture.

Very pleasing to the eye, strongest of the bunch.

 

[A.N.Other]

It's a shame that no.1 is just a little overexposed, meaning that you lose the detail in the petals. If it wasn't for this, this shot would be my favourite due to it's simplicity.

Playing around with water droplets can be quite fun and adds a bit of interest, but I think that it often adds distractions as well, drawing your eyes away from the focal point. In both 3 and 4, the large drop in the bottom right is catching the sun quite badly and giving a flare that detracts from the centre of the flower.

I quite like 5, but I would say that because it's a bit different, no. 2 is the best of the bunch.

 

[Messiah Khan]

Number 2 is my favourite. Great dof and colours. It however lacks a focal point. A small insect or something would really make that one a winner. Number 1, 3 and 4 don't really do it for me at all. Number 5 is pretty damn nice, although you could do with getting rid of the black in the corner, having the whole centre in focus, and imo dropping the exposure slightly.

 

[Richard T]

thanks for the comments guys... think I'm gonna go with the 2nd one, the gerbera