Mystery Bush

[utsc2006]

Haven't posted a critique in a while. I rented a 50mm 1.4 for the week and am LOVING it.
How is the depth of field and the composition? I tried to get the sunlight to fall on the 'flower' to highlight it and catch your eye. Did it work?





Camera: Nikon D40
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/1.8
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Flash: No Flash

Thanks!

[wulf]

I can see the concept but I think two things work against it. Firstly, the whole picture is very underexposed. Take a look at the histogram for the image in your editing programme and you will see the bulk of the image information is towards the low end of the range. You can bump this up in post-production but it would be better to capture a bit more brightness first. Slowing the shutter a notch or two would probably be enough.

Secondly, I think the large out of focus part of the plant in the bottom left detracts from the result. It is larger than the bright subject area and even covers part of it. Often all it takes to avoid this kind of thing is a different angle (or gently holding the offending stem out of the way).

Wulf

[utsc2006]

Thanks Wulf, really appreciate the comments. I've only been shooting in Manual mode for a few weeks now and I'm finding it tricking to get the right exposure. Especially with trying out a new lens. Is it worth changing the ISO at all? Or should I always stick to changing the shutter speed first?

[wulf]

I tend to treat ISO as the third choice, behind aperture and shutter speed. Some photographers seem afraid to raise it above the minimum setting but my experiments suggest that the results don't get too noisy unless the picture still remains underexposed. If shooting in dim conditions, pushing to ISO 400 or 800 can make a huge difference in the range of shots that are feasible (especially if you are restricted to handholding the camera.

Wulf