1st attempt at Macro/Close-up work

[sdstone00]

This was taken with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens. I'm looking for some advice on what I could have done to better the image whether in PP or at the original shoot. The lighting was natural on an overcast day.

I just got an official macro lens (Tamron 90mm f/2.8) and haven't even started using the macro ability with it yet. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Exposure: 1/1600
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

[Lightwriter]

Your focus is good but I find the framing distracting. The in-focus blades of grass and the out of focus white ball (another dandelion?) draw my eye away from the subject. I personally would suggest a good crop for this shot.

[JamesO]

Hi There,

I'm doing a school project where I have to critique people's pictures, so I chose to get a double whammy out of it and actually post my critique to help others improve their photography. My critique might sound a little odd as I'm presenting it to a teacher, but here we go:

Exposure: The exposure in this photo seems quite well. It’s just at tad dark. Very good in this regard. (Check out the one I’ve attached to see what I would have done.)

Focus: The focus is torn between the grass and the dandelion. While it does primarily focus on the dandelion, the grass is pretty in focus, which detracts from the dandelion.

Depth of Field: This is a tricky one as the dandelion is so close to the grass, so I would have gone at a different angle. (Or clip the grass ).

Centered vs. Rule of Thirds: Again, this is tricky as well, as I can’t tell which one is supposed to be in focus.

Feeling: Hmm, the feeling I get is very interesting. It’s kind of hard to describe, but it is a warm, sort of “WOW” feeling. The only problem is the dual focus.

Picasa Web Albums - wroljamesowens

Hope this helps,
James

[lpt95]

Hello

The main problem I see is the depth of field. The dandelions stem is out of focus and blends in with the grass. Because of this the dandelion seems flat against the background instead of standing out like it should in a macro shot. Perhaps you could have taken this from a lower angle to get the stem in focus and to make the dandelion stand out.