Red Buds

[Shelbyyy]

Still trying to get the hang of composition and the way macro shots should look. Hoping for some constructive critisism and general tips, if you don't mind!



1/60
f/5.6
Focal length 48mm
ISO 400

[RichardTaylor]

Technical.
Not enough of it is sharp. A few buds on the bottom left appear to be however the majority of the plant isn't. You probably need to shoot at a smaller aperture to get more DOF.

Aesthetic.
The white (over exposed?) background is a major distraction especially with the contrasting tree trunk..
I think you go for a high key look (generaly whitish and light) or not at all.
The composition is very centred which tends to be a bit boring. I would try to shoot it from a number of different angles, keeping the "rule" of thirds in mind, to give something a bit more dynamic (diagonal?).

I can post a couple of examples (from my flickr stream) to show what I mean if you like.

[chicagojohn]

Originally Posted by RichardTaylor

Technical.
Not enough of it is sharp. A few buds on the bottom left appear to be however the majority of the plant isn't. You probably need to shoot at a smaller aperture to get more DOF.

Aesthetic.
The white (over exposed?) background is a major distraction especially with the contrasting tree trunk..
I think you go for a high key look (generaly whitish and light) or not at all.
The composition is very centred which tends to be a bit boring. I would try to shoot it from a number of different angles, keeping the "rule" of thirds in mind, to give something a bit more dynamic (diagonal?).

I can post a couple of examples (from my flickr stream) to show what I mean if you like.

Nice analysis.

[RichardTaylor]

@chicagojohn

Thanks very much.
I do shoot a few flowers, probably too many!