critique please

[Lara]

Hi guys. What am I doing wrong here that you can suggest I get a better shot? I sharpened and used blur of the background of the orange flower. I'm limited to where I can go, so my neighbor's yard was where I could try a few shots.
The flowers weren't perfectly still, and I couldn't stablize my camera. For close shots like this, not such great circumstances.

I tried different settings, f/stops etc. I know that with the purple flower, I focused in the wrong spot!

Thanks for any input. I realize these are boring, but ya know

[adina]

As any flower/macro ish type image I shoot results in massive suckage, I'm not sure what I would suggest.

Just wanted to let you know that your colors are beautiful. I especially like the first.

adina

[Janie]

I suggested to someone else this same advice - think of flowers like people - focus on one and use the rest as background! You know when you take a photo of someone and people in the background have heads cut off? Well, it has the same effect with flowers, frame the whole picture, if there is a flower being cut off in the background see if you can take it out of the background.

[Lara]

Thanks Janie! So you are saying that if a flower isn't whole in the shot, try to crop it out? Or just go try to take the photo again?

Adina, appreciate you like the colors. Pretty flowers for sure. I noticed how vivid they looked out my window this morning, so I ran over and took a few shots.

[Sebastian]

The middle one I would not use, but the other two have potential. Two things ruin the middle one for me, the background and how stacked the flowers are. There is no definition between the petals due to the way they are arranged, and the background is jsut way too distracting.

The other two are good. You got close and eliminated most of the needless elements. More careful focus and framing will only help here.

Glad to be looking at these.

[Janie]

Thanks Janie! So you are saying that if a flower isn't whole in the shot, try to crop it out? Or just go try to take the photo again?

Adina, appreciate you like the colors. Pretty flowers for sure. I noticed how vivid they looked out my window this morning, so I ran over and took a few shots.

Well, think of it this way - if the flower was a person in the crowd, how would you frame the shot? I've attempted taking pics of flowers with others in the background and it just doesn't work well at all - unless you blur them out or darken them or crop them out - which the crop out isn't always possible. Do you know how to use the masking tool in photoshop? You can mask the main flower subject then blur and darken the rest and give it slightly less contrast than the main flower - I do that too. These are things just to make the viewer aware of what the subject of the photo really is. And if you can think of a story to tell with the subject, try that as well (I do that in my head, when i'm snapping the photo - I talk to the flower! lol)

[Janie]

Well, think of it this way - if the flower was a person in the crowd, how would you frame the shot? I've attempted taking pics of flowers with others in the background and it just doesn't work well at all - unless you blur them out or darken them or crop them out - which the crop out isn't always possible. Do you know how to use the masking tool in photoshop? You can mask the main flower subject then blur and darken the rest and give it slightly less contrast than the main flower - I do that too. These are things just to make the viewer aware of what the subject of the photo really is. And if you can think of a story to tell with the subject, try that as well (I do that in my head, when i'm snapping the photo - I talk to the flower! lol)

one more thing - the flower isn't going anywhere so snap it at all different angles and be aware of the background! Lay on the ground and have the sky as your background or look directly over top and have the ground your background-find a really cool, but different angle!

[Lara]

Great suggestions Janie. They are very helpful and much appreciated.

My back limits my range of motion. If I lay on the ground, I might not be able to get back up LOL But I'll try your suggestions of moving around to get a better background!

[ChaosCubed]

I know nothing about taking pictures of anything but screaming children... LOL... but just wanted to add that I really like the pink shot -- the dew drops really add something to it, I think. Very beautiful detail!

[Lara]

Thanks Kate! I'm glad you like!

You're children's shots are really beautiful. Adina, Nat and several others on this site have a knack of really capturing little ones in action. I envy that!
Charles Hess is amazing with his photography with just about anything! But I love his people photos

[Janie]

Hey, you know what, if you really want to get great shots of flowers, take some inside and create a composition - then you'll have a good sense of how to frame it best and you won't have to worry about your back!

[Sebastian]

Hey, you know what, if you really want to get great shots of flowers, take some inside and create a composition - then you'll have a good sense of how to frame it best and you won't have to worry about your back!

Excellent advice.

[Lara]

Yes it is! In fact, Seb already suggested that to me! Senior moment
Thanks to you both!