A Rose by any other name....

[FadderUri]

Ran some errands early this morning (strange for me, I'm a night owl, usually sleep in), and when I pulled back into the driveway, I noticed that two of our rose bushes had new blooms. I went over for a closer look, and saw they still had dew on them. Dropped my bags and ran for the camera. I took these with a 4X magnifier on a 50mm lens. I know the DOF is a bit off, but I couldn't get the breeze to cooperate, and shooting with the magnifiers is a new experience for me. Other than that, what does everyone think?

[gahspidy]

I like the composition of the first one. The blossoming flower and the bud not yet in bloom is good. I think for both of these though, you need to adjust your levels. These images are very soft, as opposed to being sharp. But I think because they are "so very soft" it looks somewhat intentional and has a nice feel. just bring up those levels to improve.

[ziggy]

The second one - I have seen a lot of pictures like that... Cheesy
The first one - I'm impressed.

[Speed]

I like the composition of the first one. The blossoming flower and the bud not yet in bloom is good. I think for both of these though, you need to adjust your levels. These images are very soft, as opposed to being sharp. But I think because they are "so very soft" it looks somewhat intentional and has a nice feel. just bring up those levels to improve.

Nice shot, lots of potential, but a little too soft. Is that you magnifier lens or the scan?

Most 50mm lenses will focus down to 18 inches or so. How frame filling is it with just the lens? Do you have any extension tubes? They will let you focus even closer, making it more frame filling as well. Just some ideas to consider.

[FadderUri]

The second one - I have seen a lot of pictures like that... Cheesy
The first one - I'm impressed.

The second one - it was the dew that caught my eye. First time I've tried shooting anything up close like that.

The first one - Thanks. I had to sit there for about 2 minutes with my finger on the shutter, hoping for the breeze to quit long enough to grab the shot. BTW, it's my mum's favorite, too.

[FadderUri]

Nice shot, lots of potential, but a little too soft. Is that you magnifier lens or the scan?

Most 50mm lenses will focus down to 18 inches or so. How frame filling is it with just the lens? Do you have any extension tubes? They will let you focus even closer, making it more frame filling as well. Just some ideas to consider.

I think the softness is mostly my inexperience with macro-style photography. With the 4X filter attachment, I was able to get within 2-4 inches of the blooms. I don't have any extension tubes yet, but I'm still building my kit of extra goodies.