Pebble

[Comedy Rotten]

The pebble in this picture is actually in focus, but you can't tell because I had to shrink it down. Other than that, is there anything that stands out that I could have improved?
For instance, could I have improved the out of focus effect of the background and foreground? I know I could have improved it a little with HDR as well to get the pebble more lit up. Suggestions?

[Sterling]

I like the clearly defined plane of focus and I like the specular highlights in the blurred background. What I'm not so crazy about is the subject of the photo - the pebble. I'm afraid I just don't find anything about it to be interesting.

[Comedy Rotten]

Originally Posted by Sterling

I like the clearly defined plane of focus and I like the specular highlights in the blurred background. What I'm not so crazy about is the subject of the photo - the pebble. I'm afraid I just don't find anything about it to be interesting.

Yes, I agree about the pebble. It is more interesting in full-size, because you can see the details of the pebble better. But in this dumbed down version, it's kind of a blurry blob in the photo.

[jiminyClickit]

Hi, ComedyRotten

Examples can show what words may not:



- If your subject is small and "common," getting closer will help the interest factor.
- Background, when related to the subject, (or contrasted to it) may also help, whether blurred or not.
- And time of day/weather can bring lighting effects that tie it all together.

Your photo is a good step in experimenting with Macro. As you experiment, you can begin to add all the other aspects as well: focus, composition, positioning of camera, distance to subject, exposure, speed, ISO, breathing, patience.

Stay curious, Macro is a rich field of interest.

[Comedy Rotten]

Thanks for the advice JiminyClikit. I can see how I could have improved on your first suggestion of getting closer. The background in this particular picture would have been ugly (I tried it at a lower f/stop and it just didn't look good) so I opted to blur it out with a narrow focal point. That is a really cool picture of that stone. Did you take it?

[jiminyClickit]

ComedyRotten,

All advice is just a nudge - you are there when taking a photo, and your decisions are what counts, so consider my ideas as just things I've tried before and sometimes they work OK. For composition, I moved my stone onto a bigger rock that I then held in front of a gravel driveway. Opinions about that vary - I like to compose for a photograph if the scene is just not interesting as it is.