Seeds of Spring

[Giya]

So the crocuses started blooming in our yard this past weekend (yippee Spring!). I was trying to get in close to really get some imagery of the pollen and reproductive parts of the flower. My aperture was set to f/11, but my DOF still feels too shallow. In trying this shot again, should I sacrifice my ISO to get more DOF? Or since I am shooting at such close distances will increasing my aperture really result in a significant effect?

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/giya/2354514829/" title="IMG_2822 by giyalmies, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2068/2354514829_556692b958.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="IMG_2822" /></a>

Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Here's another pic of the same flower at a more manageable distance with better DOF. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/giya/2355340774/) Should I just crop this second image to fill the frame with the flower?

I'm using the Canon 100mm USM Macro btw.

[Major_Small]

Short DoF is one of the things that just comes with Macro photography. You just have to make the best of it. If you could try to reposition to get more of the stamen in focus, that would improve the shot IMO.

[MikeM]

You could stop the aperture down two more stops by setting your ISO at 400, which should still give you very acceptable noise, I should think.

[TexasMike]

I cannot answer your question, but I think the picture is stunning the way it is. Thank you for posting it.

[clockdoc]

You have presented a very fine shot of your flower. I don't feel that the softer parts detract from its overall impact. Having said that, here are some things to think about in macro work. Stopping the lens down will increase depth of field to a point. However, at some higher aperture numbers, refraction tends to cancel out the sharpness gained. So stopping all the way down doesn't always provide the best image. Macro lenses such as the one you used may not be as greatly affected by this refraction.
You are on the right track with increasing the distance between the lens and flower. This will add to the depth of field as you move back. Then crop as desired. Lastly, condiser the source of light. A large diffused source will provide less contrast and perceived lack of sharpness where a smaller, point light source may increase contrast and a better perception of sharpness. You do nice work! Keep shooting!

[SarahN]

My critique is the same as Major_Small, but I wanted to tell you that the color is exquisite. My friend is planning a wedding and I think this yellow is the perfect color for her.

Thanks for posting!

[richb14]

I love macro photography, for many reasons, but not least that you can generally experiment, particularly in this instance where the flower is not going go way anytime soon (like a bee might). I like to take lots of photo, playing with the settings (ISO, aperture, exposure bias etc etc). This way you start to build a feel for what works what doesn't.

The shot is great, I think the DOF is fine, the colour is brought out well, a minor suggestion is maybe get a little more background colour (darker colour) to provide more contrast to bring out the flower as the subject. Did you have an option to change the perspective so that you could get the stamen against the dark background? Thanks for sharing.

Richb