Roses in Natural Light

[kevinold]

Hi everyone,

These are the roses I bought my wife for Valentine's Day and I wanted to photograph them for her so she'd "have them forever". I sat them next to a window mid-afternoon and proceeded to take a few pictures.

Here is one that I thought would turn out perfect, but I'm not sure what I've done wrong. It just looks bad.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinold/2270800680/" title="00125 by kevin_d_old, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2019/2270800680_b8210cd061_m.jpg" width="160" height="240" alt="00125" /></a>

Camera: Nikon D40
Exposure: 0.077 sec (1/13)
Aperture: f/5.3
Focal Length: 46 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0/6 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

I took a few more from different angles with and put them in a set on flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinold/sets/72157603922598598/).

Even the ones that I had my flash (SB400) on didn't turn out the way I thought they would.

I've read that natural lighting is best and that diffusing the light with curtains or sheer materials would help add character.

This was my first real attempt at trying the natural lighting techniques, but they've left me a little frustrated.

Any advice on what I do?

[Arvid]

Location! Location! Location! is as true for photography as it for a business. Here among other things, the background is distracting and draws the viewer away from the beautiful roses. You would be better taking this picture against a solid wall or have your wife hold some colored paper behind the flowers. With a solid background, you can concentrate on camera settings so you can get better focus and greater DOF.

Roses are a beautiful flower but it isn’t easy to capture their velvet petals. I’m sure your wife was very happy with your gift.

Arvid

[peeperita]

i am a sucker for rose images....:)

i think you might want to bracket exposures next time.....this one looks a little on the overexposed side of town.....generally, and i may be doing this all wrong.....but, generally, i set my aperture to what i want, let the camera meter for the light....and then bracket up and down a couple of stops......in post, i select the one that works best for me.....

repost if you decide to reshoot....although, i know those lovlies can fade all to quickly.....

best of luck

peeper

[FocalFrenzy]

Here's some thoughts for future practice. First, in order to blur the background, you need a lower F/stop number. The lower the number, the shallower your depth of field. Anything between F/3 and F/5 should have blurred the background well enough. If your F-value is too low, it may reduce your DOF to the point that it becomes difficult to focus without a tripod.(The blank construction paper held behind, mentioned above, will give you some leeway in focusing). Secondly, make sure that no part of the closest window is in the frame. If it doesn't "Blow out" (appear bright white without detail), then it will distract the viewers' eye from your subject (as it does in this shot). Another point to remember is that you should always use the lowest ISO setting you can (to reduce "Noise" or "Graininess" in your shot). Try ISO 200 or less, if shooting in front of a daylit window.Depending upon which editing program you use, you may be able to repair this shot, but if you learn how to correct these minor points "in camera", it will save you alot of time and effort. I have learned so much from this forum and the wonderful folks involved here. I only hope that I'm able to pass some of what I've learned on. To me it's a "Pay it forward" thing. I hope this helps, and look forward to seeing more of your shots.:)

P.S. If any of the advice that I have given is incorrect on any level, please let me know, as I would never intentionally misdirect another forum member. Thank you.

[kevinold]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your replies. I took another stab at it and was able to get two really good photos.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinold/2276132736/" title="00159 by kevin_d_old, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2168/2276132736_beef17362f_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="00159" /></a>

The other is in the photo set.
http://flickr.com/photos/kevinold/sets/72157603939439403/

This will be a technique that I'll be perfecting for quite some time.

Thanks again,
Kevin