RED TULIP needs help

[abasu]

EXIF DATA:
speed :1/320
Aperture : 5.6
ISO 200
Focal length 55mm
Aperture priority
Camera: CANON 350D 18-55mm lens

1) I would like to hear about the composition and exposure.

2) Ofcourse I do have some problem in clarity of the shot specially at the centre of the flower. The edge of the petals are sharp but the centre is blurred. Please help me to know the reason

3) The original picture showed the yellow portion too bright, hence I reduced the brightness in GIMP. Please tell me if I did it right or not?

4) At the top end there was a pink petal which was distrcating. I tried to crop it and clone the area in GIMP though not well done. I would like someone to modify it for me

ORIGINAL IMAGE

[Murtasma]

A few things to try next time

1. Pay attention to the viewfinder, you should have noticed this distracting element (the pink flower) entering the top of the frame. When doing macro work it's best to use a tripod when possible. I would have set the camera to use the timer and then carefully moved that petal out of the frame with your hand and holding it in place while the timer is counting down.

2. F 5.6 at 55mm is too large of an aperture to have the center of the flower fall within the depth of field. Try stopping the lens down next time to around F9 - F11. You can use the depth of field preview button to get a feel for what will be within the depth of field. (This takes practice to understand what is happening when you stop the lens down and look through the view finder, the image will get darker but you should notice an increase in sharpness if you look carefully, especially around areas of strong contrast)

3. It's pretty apparent this was taken on a sunny day, usually this creates problems with exposer on flowers. Lot's of shadows are created on the flowers surface due to the harsh light from the sun. Try taking a white t-shirt or some other type of white fabric to help diffuse the light striking the flower. Just hold the cloth so it's between the sun and the flower. This will help soften the light so you can get a more even exposer over the entire flower. It may be necessary to use a white plastic card to bounce some light back onto the flower after it has been diffused to create a little more contrast. Each lighting situation is different, the more you experiment the better you will get at recognizing the type of light you are working with and what method you would use to correct it.

Thank you for sharing!

[abasu]

Originally Posted by Murtasma

A few things to try next time

1. Pay attention to the viewfinder, you should have noticed this distracting element (the pink flower) entering the top of the frame. When doing macro work it's best to use a tripod when possible. I would have set the camera to use the timer and then carefully moved that petal out of the frame with your hand and holding it in place while the timer is counting down.

2. F 5.6 at 55mm is too large of an aperture to have the center of the flower fall within the depth of field. Try stopping the lens down next time to around F9 - F11. You can use the depth of field preview button to get a feel for what will be within the depth of field. (This takes practice to understand what is happening when you stop the lens down and look through the view finder, the image will get darker but you should notice an increase in sharpness if you look carefully, especially around areas of strong contrast)

3. It's pretty apparent this was taken on a sunny day, usually this creates problems with exposer on flowers. Lot's of shadows are created on the flowers surface due to the harsh light from the sun. Try taking a white t-shirt or some other type of white fabric to help diffuse the light striking the flower. Just hold the cloth so it's between the sun and the flower. This will help soften the light so you can get a more even exposer over the entire flower. It may be necessary to use a white plastic card to bounce some light back onto the flower after it has been diffused to create a little more contrast. Each lighting situation is different, the more you experiment the better you will get at recognizing the type of light you are working with and what method you would use to correct it.

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for your 3 valuable suggestion in macro photography..1) viewfinder and use of tripod 2) Depth of field..for macro I will try to increase the depth of field next time. However I am not comfortable with the depth of preview button, but I should practice. 3) Soft light is important for flowers. Thanks again