The roots macro

[artistChan]

This is a shot of bonsai tree's roots, the DOF is very small so the trunk is blurred, please tell does that help or not? what else could be done to make it better?

[wulf]

I don't think it helps. A lot of the foreground is blurred, which tends to create an obstacle to viewing the picture and the area that is in focus isn't reinforcing any area of particular interest (you have the green shots of something growing but they are near the edge and some of them are cut off). Narrow DoF can be a useful tool to draw the eye to what is in focus but here I think it just functions as a limitation of the lens.

Could you tell us a bit about the camera and settings you used.

Thanks,

Wulf

[photog1107]

I agree with Wulf. There is nothing particularly interesting about the one spot that is in focus. Perhaps the shot would be improved by a lower angle shooting down the long roots with a much higher DoF, to emphasize the lines the roots create. I might be tempted to convert it to b/w, too, as the highly saturated colors here also add to the distraction of the composition, in my opinion.