My Nemisis

[frannymac]

I have been trying to photograph well this sort of lily for some time. This is the best to date. The biggest challenge for me is apeture which will give the petals and stamen the best depth of field... I'm not sure if I want them all in focus or not... any suggestions?

FRan

[sierra4me]

I'd vote for more depth-of-field. Color and exposure looks good.

[jeff_in_ak]

I looked at your image for a long time, as it is an excellent shot and pleasing to the eye. But I finally came to the same conclusion as Sierra...more DOF. The colors are fantastic. Very good job.

jeff

[frannymac]

Thanks for your input... I've lost count of how many of these flowers I have bought now. I think my major problem is that I rely on natural light for my shots (as I don't have a grip on flash photography yet - or a decent off camera flash/lighting system) so getting maximum DOF is more difficult - BUT I won't give up looking for the perfect light!

Thanks again for your input!

Fran

[Chunk]

I have been trying to photograph well this sort of lily for some time. This is the best to date. The biggest challenge for me is apeture which will give the petals and stamen the best depth of field... I'm not sure if I want them all in focus or not... any suggestions?

FRan

I agree that a little more DOF would improve this shot by making more of the stamen in focus. This is a well composed shot with beautiful color.

You didn't list equipment or specs for this shot. Are you using a camera that can make longer exposures at a smaller (higher) aperture? Do you have the camera on a tripod or otherwise supported to allow the longer exposures?

Also remember that the point of sharpest focus is only about 1/3 of the way through the zone of acceptable focus so you may want to focus on a part of your subject that is a little closer to the lens than you think.

[frannymac]

Thanks for commenting.

I am REALLY bad for not recording specs - I know I need to do this if I want to improve - so that is my new resolution!

What I do know is: Pentax MZ 7, Sigma 28 - 80, photographed at 80 with Macro set. Ektachrome film (not sure of rating - probably 100 iso). Natural light, on my front path with piece of black cardboard as background. Flower in bottle, camera on tripod for some frames, but not others so I can't remember whether this was or not. - See... I still have a lot to learn.

I'm showing my ignorance by asking this question - Does your last comment mean that I should focus on the stamen at the point it starts to branch out? That would be closer to the camera than where I focused on the petals. Please forgive my learning brain!

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Fran

[Liz]

This is what it's all about. I admire your perseverance especially in trying to find the exact amount of natural light. You've done a good job so far. I agree with the posts below - work at giving the stamina a little more DOF. Other than that, the composition and color IMO are very good.

BTW, I really like your avatar.....great job there too.

Liz

I have been trying to photograph well this sort of lily for some time. This is the best to date. The biggest challenge for me is apeture which will give the petals and stamen the best depth of field... I'm not sure if I want them all in focus or not... any suggestions?

FRan

[frannymac]

The frangipani was a photo I posted here probably 12 months ago and Lava Lamp gave me some cropping advice... I've learnt alot through this forum.

I'll practice with the Lily again this weekend and post the results soon

Thanks again,

Fran

[Chunk]

Thanks for commenting.

I am REALLY bad for not recording specs - I know I need to do this if I want to improve - so that is my new resolution!

What I do know is: Pentax MZ 7, Sigma 28 - 80, photographed at 80 with Macro set. Ektachrome film (not sure of rating - probably 100 iso). Natural light, on my front path with piece of black cardboard as background. Flower in bottle, camera on tripod for some frames, but not others so I can't remember whether this was or not. - See... I still have a lot to learn.

I'm showing my ignorance by asking this question - Does your last comment mean that I should focus on the stamen at the point it starts to branch out? That would be closer to the camera than where I focused on the petals. Please forgive my learning brain!

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Fran

Yeah, that's what I meant. Here's a crude diagram.

If you want to maximize DOF (largest zone of acceptable focus) you want to do whatever you can to get your aperture as small as possible. For a given lens and magnification, that means slower shutter speed, more light, higher film speed. Then you position your focal point to get as much the subject that you want by positioning your focal point, remembering that the zone of acceptable focus is about 1/3 in front of the focal point and 2/3 behind it.

[frannymac]

That's a great diagram - Thanks so much for your help!

Fran