Dandelion seed head/ macro mode

[tferero]

I am a total beginner, but I liked this shot. The original shot was more expansive; I cropped to show just the head of the dandelion. Otherwise, the photo is untouched.

What would others do to improve this shot? I was not using a tripod, because I don't have one yet, so I assume the clarity could be much better.

I used a Canon SX20IS, manual mode, macro, ISO100, F5.0, shutter of 1/40. I was also using AWB, and the photo was taken late in the day, about an hour before sundown.

Thanks for any comments! I really want to learn to take great photos, like so many I see on here...

[NoSoup]

This has been done a million times. Not enough detail on this one. Please try again.

[wyndhydra]

tferero,

That is a lovely capture. I love the light coming through the dandelion. Increasing the depth of field could get you more detail throughout but other than that the shot looks good. Additionally, you are obviously correct that you could get some good steadiness from a tripod, however that could be limited depending on the amount of breeze. Worse case scenario you could bump up your ISO a little to prevent some movement of the flower. All and all great shot

[tferero]

Originally Posted by wyndhydra

tferero,

That is a lovely capture. I love the light coming through the dandelion. Increasing the depth of field could get you more detail throughout but other than that the shot looks good. Additionally, you are obviously correct that you could get some good steadiness from a tripod, however that could be limited depending on the amount of breeze. Worse case scenario you could bump up your ISO a little to prevent some movement of the flower. All and all great shot

Thank you - I really like the constructive advice. This is what I was looking for For true beginners like me, even the most basic of concepts can be difficult to put into practice.