tiny ballerinas in orange

[cristen]

A shot of fungi on wood. The color appealed to me and they looked like they are dancing on a stage... Is it aptly titled?

How do you find the composition? Is the bokeh very distracting? Did it meet the "rule of thirds" criteria? I would have wanted to make them bigger, but then it's so difficult to prevent camera shake with inverted lens.

So here's the EXIF data:

Gear: Canon EOS 500D
f stop: f/10
Exposure: 1/40
ISO 100
focal length: 55mm

[cristen]

I hope this is permitted... I can't help myself from trying to tinker with whatever little knowledge I have in Photoshop. Please tell me if it looks better... the cropping I guess would meet the rule of thirds criteria? Of course, my focus is still off...Any advice?

[wal]

The first composition is better to me, it's not too tight. what i would suggest is, adjusting colors, as the second post colors makes the fungi looks better

[cristen]

Originally Posted by wal

The first composition is better to me, it's not too tight. what i would suggest is, adjusting colors, as the second post colors makes the fungi looks better

thanks for the advice, wal. i will definitely try your suggestion.

[BexJarratt]

Originally Posted by wal

The first composition is better to me, it's not too tight. what i would suggest is, adjusting colors, as the second post colors makes the fungi looks better

I agree, the first crop looks more like they're dancing, reaching up to the sky. The second crop looks like they're just standing up.

[karen_s]

I prefer the first also. I really like the vertical lines of the atmosphere behind the ballerinas. I think they really add something to the composition by creating a sort of dramatic lighting, like you might see on a stage during a ballet. The second one kinda loses that feel and accents the focus issue.

Gotta say though nice eye to see this little scene and good work with the inverted lens.

[cristen]

thanks, everyone. with you choosing the first shot, i am more inclined to trust my instincts

[chicagojohn]

Originally Posted by cristen

A shot of fungi on wood. The color appealed to me and they looked like they are dancing on a stage... Is it aptly titled?

How do you find the composition? Is the bokeh very distracting? Did it meet the "rule of thirds" criteria? I would have wanted to make them bigger, but then it's so difficult to prevent camera shake with inverted lens.

So here's the EXIF data:

Gear: Canon EOS 500D
f stop: f/10
Exposure: 1/40
ISO 100
focal length: 55mm

1. I like the title: Without it I'd have been stumped.
2. I found the composition by looking for "All threads started by Cristen".
3. Bokeh is good enough to not be distracting, imho.
4. Good compromise for rule-of-thirds, I think, in that the major clump of dancers are on and you really had to include the dark portion at the bottom for optimum dynamic range.

I've never attempted to shoot a macro with an inverted lens, but I am guessing, and only guessing, that a narrower aperture could still have improved depth of field. This image pretty clearly shows the band of depth of field across the stump surface. As is, it's a very compelling image, especially with the title, due to the color and dynamic range.

I'm wondering what the effect of further decreasing aperture might have been, compensated for by ISO in this case, with your comments indicating the absence of a tripod; 1/40 is pushing it, so a higher ISO may have helped there too. I would imagine that noise would not be a significant issue with your camera here up to at least 800 and maybe 1600 giving you three or four more stops to use in exploring shutter speed and aperture.

I think this image is memorable; thanks for sharing it.

Postscript -- Oh, and now that I see there was a second image, I also agree that I like the first version better.

[cristen]

Originally Posted by chicagojohn

I've never attempted to shoot a macro with an inverted lens, but I am guessing, and only guessing, that a narrower aperture could still have improved depth of field. This image pretty clearly shows the band of depth of field across the stump surface. As is, it's a very compelling image, especially with the title, due to the color and dynamic range.

I'm wondering what the effect of further decreasing aperture might have been, compensated for by ISO in this case, with your comments indicating the absence of a tripod; 1/40 is pushing it, so a higher ISO may have helped there too. I would imagine that noise would not be a significant issue with your camera here up to at least 800 and maybe 1600 giving you three or four more stops to use in exploring shutter speed and aperture.
.

I just got the idea of inverting lens from some of the websites as I am toying with the idea of getting into macro photography with limited budget.. LOL. As for the settings,it never occurred to me to adjust them because I thought they would never work with the inverted lens. I would have to find that out.
As always, I am thankful for your valuable input, ChicagoJohn. I am flattered you bothered to look for my posts, no matter how inferior they are...