Attempt at flowers indoors and a mushroom out

[ClaudioG]

Hi all..tried taking some advice from previous posts..i went indoors as i am really struggling to get sharp images outside ..just a little breeze and Poof.

The 2nd flower i tried at with aperture of 3.8 to see what i'd get. I dont know why but i prefer 2nd one. some outta focus some not.

I took the picture of the mushroom with my 35mm..quite liking it at F1.8.

As always C and C to help me improve. Thank you in Advance

[Wavelength]

The second image has come out the best, for me. In the third, the pollen part is sharp,but the petals went oof; in that case a crop of the central part will work, i feel

[DanK]

The third works best for me. However, the way you are posting makes it hard to give feedback. The images are very small, too small to see clearly what's in focus. the exif is also stripped. If the way you post strips EXIF (I think the way I do it does), then it is helpful to include the aperture in your post for all photos like this, as DOF is a key issue.

[Geoff F]

I am also inclined to prefer the third image.

The mushroom would have worked if you had done a bit of 'gardening' before shooting and removed those blades of grass.

I like the angle of the second shot but the closest point is out of focus. If it was the other way around and that point was sharp while the rear edge was soft it would have worked better.

Although the petals are all out of focus in the third image the centre is sharp so the out of focus area looks like a deliberate compositional choice.

[ClaudioG]

Awesome all..thank you for advice. Ok I especially like Geoff advice..sharpness front to main spot of focus.

The 3rd image was shot at f3.8...my intention was to try see if I only had the central part in focus would be acceptable for a flower image.

I think what I'm trying to understand and struggling to understand...is the difference between been closer in and further out...there are different dof and focusing points for each of them...i need some advice of at least where to start wig each of these scenarios. Lol...thanks in advance

[DanK]

As I mentioned in an earlier thread, there is no one answer. Different people prefer different things. However, here is what I would do if I were uncertain how much to keep in focus:

1. Decide what you want to be the center of attention. Make sure that is in focus. For example, it is almost always (I say almost because I can think of exceptions) that when shooting bugs, the nearest eye needs to be in focus.

2. In most cases, avoid substantial out of focus areas closer than the area in #1. Behind can be OK, as well as above, below, and to the sides. However, large out of focus areas that are obviously in front of the core subject usually don't work. Again, there are exceptions.

3. From this point on, it's mostly a matter of taste.

[Wavelength]

In macro images one part will be in sharp focus( mostly central) whereas the remaining parts will by out of focus; but there oof area will be a small percent of the whole frame. In the third about 90% of area is oof, save the centre. That is why i felt, a crop of centre with some blur part included, would work well.