Out of the dark

[omni]

This is an experiment using my camera on a tripod with the flower against a black background with a hand held ring flash positioned to get the effect I wanted. i would like some constructive critique on how to improve the shot.

[Geoff F]

I suppose it depends on what you want from this scene. There are several alternatives but this image is looking quite good now.

My only real problem is with some areas of the background where something, probably the stem, is neither hidden nor clearly visibly which looks a bit 'untidy'.

A very difficult scene with a lot of potential for over exposure of highlights or over saturation; both of which you have managed to control.

[chauncey]

Like Geoff said, it kinda depends on your goals. That said, I'm not a fan of ring lights...prefer to adjust my
lighting while shooting tethered.
In this case, I might have bent that rear petal so it bulges the other way.

[Manfred M]

Interesting shot, Steve.

I'm not a flower or macro photographer per se, but I do use ring flash in some portraiture work.

Ring flash produces a very flat, featureless light, which means I tend to use it with supplemental light, and based on what I see here, I think that is what is lacking. You are close to your subject, so the light fall-off is quite extreme, but you still get a hint of both more petal and stem, and I don't think that works as well as you might have hoped. A bit more ambient light to fill in the pieces where we are guessing might improve this shot.

[omni]

Geoff, I have got to say you have very good eyes. It took me a while to find where you mean. I have looked at this photo quite a few times and not seen it before. Thank you.

[Loose Canon]

Hi Steve! Welcome to the Forum.

I applaud the effort to get some creative, dramatic lighting for this shot. A nice change.

While the comments made regarding ring flash (I assume the “around-the-lens” type) are true, they are only true if you are using it around the lens. Not so much so if you are using it as an independent light source and hand-held in various positions. If you hadn’t mentioned using it I’m at a loss as to how anyone would have known it was a ring flash since there are no telling circular light reflections that I can see.

I wonder if you might try to get a bit more light to the upper center petal? Just enough for it to be a tad bit more defined? If you only have the one light a suggestion might be a (very) small reflector up top and just in front of the top petal. Unless you have a stand handy your hands will be full because you’d have to probably hand-hold it and experiment to get just the right angle to throw some light on it. And it would have to be small enough to light the center petal, and not throw light onto the surrounding side petals. And that Steve, is some targeted lighting right there!

Geoff mentioned the BG and there are more problems with it than just the stem area. When I shoot a black (or any really) BG I like to zoom it crazy tight and have a good hard look at every square mm of it. If the issues are not visible to you it may be that your monitor needs an adjustment. It’s pretty obvious from where I’m sitting and without zooming it.

Also I might look into a counterclockwise rotation to level it out. I have it at 1.35* CC rotation to level it (but my head may be on crooked!) and then crop to center the flower exactly left to right. It is giving to the right a bit.

Nice work, Steve.

[omni]

Thanks Terry,
A really helpful reply.
I turned my screen brightness up and saw exactly what you and other said about the unwanted bits at the bottom and top. A lesson learned. I have now cleared all the rubbish and centred the image properly.
The whole idea of not illuminating the top part of the flower was to show it emerging from darkness to light. Hence the title.
With regard to the ring light it was hand held to get the effect wanted with the light switched on and not on flash. It was on minimal brightness to help with the effect I wanted.
Best wishes
Steve