Rose Close Up II

[Matthew_Scullion]

Just starting to try out a few close-up shots with a view to getting into macro. Went out into the garden last night and took this one. Feedback in general appreciated but particularly on composition, exposure and post-prod. Thanks!



Shot Details:

Nikon D200, Nikkor 50mm. Manual exposure: F/2.8, 1/60, ISO 100. SB-900 high camera right through Lastolite softbox, manual power, 1/64, triggered with CLS. Post prod in NX2 and Color Efex Pro.

Background:

Hale, Cheshire, UK. Planted this shrub rose in my garden earlier this year. Pretty chuffed that there are so many blooms on it. The flowers are white but seem to be bright pink just before they flower.

[Doug Sundseth]

Your focus is good here. If the shot were of just the bloom, I'd recommend a shallower depth of field, but here the bud would probably go noticeably out of focus if you were to do that. You might be able to move the flash in closer and drop its power to isolate the flower by brightness.

Color balance seems a bit warm to me. With flowers it's really hard to tell, though, since "White" covers quite a few different colors.

Depending on what else is on the bush, I'd consider moving a bit to the right for this shot, so that the bud isn't directly above the bloom. A diagonal composition might be a bit more pleasing.

With the current composition, I'd crop in from the bottom and left to move the subject out of the center of the frame and just a bit from the right to increase the size of the subject relative to the frame.

HTH

[Matthew_Scullion]

Doug, many thanks for taking the time to feedback. Much appreciated. Will try your crop suggestions and also have a play with colour balance, although (as you predicted may be the case) the flower itself is a creamy white in real life.

re: the angle of the bud, I totally agree. Great feedback.

Thanks again for taking the time to feedback. First comment I've had back on DPS for what seems like ages!

Matthew