Help with Camera settings

[Mary Grace]

I take pictures I like, with a lack of understanding. This is a picture from mid morning, and I would like to know what I could have done to define the flower's petals

From Captured Seasons

t

Jun 19, 2010
1600×957 pixels – 210KB
Camera: Canon
Model: Canon PowerShot S5 IS
ISO: 400
Exposure: 1/400 sec
Aperture: 3.5
Focal Length: 20.2mm
Flash Used: No

[jpitz31]

Mary,

See how the left flower petal has sun light on it and in the shade. In photography you use highlight and shadow to define the 3 dimensional shape of your images. Since this shot is mostly in the shade, you could have someone assist you in moving the branches around to change which parts of the flower are in the shade and which parts are lit in the sun.

Use fill cards as reflectors to shape light on your subject.

Take a look a the rule of thirds. Putting the flower right in the middle of the frame is not the best way to creatively present an image.

Also you shot this image at an ISO of 400 and a shutter speed of 1/400. Use the
reciprocal focal length rule to determine the slowest shutter speed you can use your camera while still hand holding it.

In this case you could have shot as slow as 1/30.

Shooting at high ISO will reduce image quality and introduce noise into the image.

Single-Serving Photo – Focal Length Reciprocal Rule

Keep shooting and learn to see what your camera sees.

Thanks

Joe