Macro flower photographs

[SpiderBob]

that would depend on if the background belonged to you in the first place...

and the answer to that would be "yes"

[Lito]

My share of not so macro flower shots. Taken with Olympus E-420, 14-42 kit lens.

Euphorbia (red variety)

[Lito]

Another Euphorbia variety.

[maloufn]

Orchid



African Daisey



Asian Lily

I am glad you guys are starting to enjoy spring while we go into hybernation. Love the second shot.
LOVELY BOKEH. A TIME LAPSE ON THAT WOULD BE GREAT. Do you focus stack at all??

Nasseem

[maloufn]

Got a trio to share...

Rosebud with Aphids (don't worry, they were naturally taken care of by ladybug larvae which were also photographed and the rose bloomed without problem)


Purple Clematis


One from my Wife (but one of my favorites)


Enjoy!

- Bill

Bill that is a great second shot. I love it. It would have been nice to macro photo some of those aphids. Keep the good works coming.

Nasseem

[Katy Noelle]

"Macroed" (sort of )



from this



Yup! This is all that we have, so far. Left overs from last year.

[Donald]

Wow! (always wanted to say that).

There's a gorgeous simplicity (the finished article, not the process of making it) that appeals to me enormously. Just the right amount of depth-of-field.

Again, this is another of those threads to which I am a rare visitor. There really is some beautiful work on show.

[ktuli]

Here's another I just took this weekend.

Claytonia caroliniana



Tiny little flowers - probably in the range of 1/2 inch.

- Bill

[Katy Noelle]

Happy day! I got a "wow!" I wonder how long it will take, now, before any of us can just say it without thinking about it and being a little self conscious.

I AM glad that you like it. I was told that it was "boring" but have refused to ditch it because I love it. Then, there's the sense of growth, personally, in a very simple way that I did choose the dof on purpose (and it wasn't just f2.8) and I did blur my background bokeh - watching the leaves behind it and I did choose where I placed that focus and composition - and it's just a simple little photo but - I've only been at this photography thing for nine months and I'm just happy that I know about these decisions.

You may not have even been to this thread before...it's only a baby, new one.

[Donald]

Then, there's the sense of growth, personally, in a very simple way that I did choose the dof on purpose (and it wasn't just f2.8) and I did blur my background bokeh - watching the leaves behind it and I did choose where I placed that focus and composition - and it's just a simple little photo but - I've only been at this photography thing for nine months and I'm just happy that I know about these decisions.

And that's called 'learning being put into practice'.

Isn't it a wonderful feeling when you realise that you are making these decisions on an almost unconscious basis (it becomes more unconscious as you develop) and that only a matter of months ago you didn't even know what the words meant never mind apply the principles in practice.

Maybe I need to get a life, but I still get a buzz out of now doing things and achieving things that, only a couple of years ago, I didn't know I could do.

ps - I won't ask who said it was boring!

EDIT - What I said above was wrong. The decision-making is not unconscious. It's the process of knowing that you have to make those decisions that becomes unconscious.

[Katy Noelle]

And that's called 'learning being put into practice'.

Isn't it a wonderful feeling when you realise that you are making these decisions on an almost unconscious basis (it becomes more unconscious as you develop) and that only a matter of months ago you didn't even know what the words meant never mind apply the principles in practice.

Maybe I need to get a life, but I still get a buzz out of now doing things and achieving things that, only a couple of years ago, I didn't know I could do.

Exactly!

ps - I won't ask who said it was boring!

I get a lot of encouragement and learn A LOT from this person; so, it's always worth asking. They completely don't mind me disagreeing and I LOVE that but, these days, I don't have a lot of confidence or "fight" (used it all up in the last several years.) Confidence is handy when you're putting yourself forward as an artist but I was just reading about Monet (I got a big, gorgeous book - I mean, a really nice one - at Borders bookstore for only four dollars because it was a little damaged. LUCKY me!) Anyway,.... Monet - he had horrible bouts with doubt and dissatisfaction. I'm not alone.

[thienthu]

Azalia in the morning

Camera: Canon
Model: Canon EOS 7D
ISO: 640
Exposure: 1/1600 sec
Aperture: 4.5
Focal Length: 100mm

I try to capture this Azalia without a tripod in the morning light throught my window
Input are welcom, Thanks for viewing
Thienthu

[maloufn]

"Macroed" (sort of )



from this



Yup! This is all that we have, so far. Left overs from last year.

Dear Katy,

I ilke both the original and the Maroed. I would be tempted to crop the macroed and frame it to see what you get. I love the Bokeh in the original: simple lovely colours. What lens did you use for macro? I guess its the 60mm 2.8 Canon????

Regards

Nasseem

[Katy Noelle]

Oh, thank you very much, Dr. Nasseem! It's always nice when someone sees and likes what you see and like, isn't it? I've just realized, though, that I've misspoken. The first photo is it's own pic. The way I said it, it sounds as if I cropped in from the second one but I just showed the larger branch to give a sense of scale. They're two separate photos. I never even thought of cropping the smaller version - I wonder if it would hold up to that, sharpness wise? I was leaning way over a horrible snow plow bank, when I took it - no tripod. It was absolutely the only thing that I could "reach" to photograph. Well, all of that is changing rapidly, these days. Spring! I think that these might be interesting with some actions and/or textures, too.

Yes, the 60mm - I can't seem to take it off. I don't want to go back to the kit lens but, sometimes, a wider angle would really, really help. If anyone reads this and can relate.....advice, please!

Dr. Nasseem, I have been thinking of you! I've been thinking about why your tiny bug photos don't win the mini-comps (you, of course, remember putting the question out there.) I've been thinking about how much images with universal themes really speak to a wider audience. I'm not meaning to tease you but, if you could just get those bugs to emote a little more.... I can see you as the director of a movie having a little chat with one of those aphids talking about motivation for his existence - "could you just show a little more feeling in the eyes, please?". Well, that's the answer to your question that I came up with. I think your love and fascination with the hidden and tiny world is brilliant!

(Also, I need to try some of that food photography that we were talking about, oh, so long ago.)

I promise, when the April Showers stop, I'll get a macroish photo of a spring blossom....

[SpiderBob]

So I was out this morning catching light while it was overcast, something different I took 143 pictures around the ranch. But, I kept coming back to this one. Showed my wife and her first thought was a creamy 50/50 ice cream from the yogurt store I like the smoothness. I have done nothing to the picture it is as I took it, using 1/320 at f/2.8 with partial metering (the only metering I could get to work, the others wandered all over) ISO 640 using a 100mm f/2.8L Mac IS.
Please comment, I have no real thoughts about it, I just kept coming back to it.




OK, so I did add some yellow back into it here as it is a yellow rose. again, nothing else.

[ktuli]

Bob,

Nice shot. I agree and like the creamy look to it. The only thing that sticks out to me is the top left corner. It is the brightest spot of the photo and also looks like you're catching the background outside of the rose as it has a bit of a greenish color to it which doesn't compliment the yellow.

Definitely fixable with a quick crop, and you have one to print!

- Bill

[SpiderBob]

Yeah, saw that too while I was putting some yellow back into it. Not sure if I like the yellow even. I'll fix the corner.
Thanks Bill

[SpiderBob]

You know what I find so odd, to me anyway, I find myself not fixing or enhancing macros near as much as I do others. Is this natural or am I dreaming this up.

[ktuli]

Bob,

Not to nitpick (unless you want me to), but I would probably crop with the center of the flower off-centered more.

I definitely do like the more uniform yellow better. Funny how it makes the green in the other one even that much more apparent!

As for doing less PP on macros, it might depend on your style of macro. If you're tending towards things like this where you're picking up a micro-pattern in nature, there really should be less you can do to work it after the fact. There are fewer stray branches, etc... I personally am a SOOC kind of guy and macro has always been one of my favorite styles, so perhaps you're hitting on one of the reasons why I prefer macro.

- Bill

[SpiderBob]

Please nitpick all you want, I'm very much still learning.