Flora 2

Andrew Gould from Sydney, Australia

I like the composition as it is, Mandy, and the colours look nice and rich. I think you need more depth of field, although that's perhaps easier said than done. Same as for yesterday's post, I don't know if you took this under windy conditions, where a high shutter speed was essential. Even at f4.5, there should be a sharp point of focus evident, but I can't find it. I know you are capable of excellent sharpness in images in your more usual style, so I'm wondering why you're having trouble here. Perhaps someone else who does closeup and macro can help out with a comment on this. Still a beautiful image, though.

5 Sep 2007 8:16am

Dimitrios from ATHENS, Greece

hi Mandy, macro is great fun but you learn by doing it. Try ti imagine always which is the key element in your frame, stady the shot and press clic. When taking the shot your hand must be relaxed and not tense!, Do it in three successive steps, aim at the subgect, focus(make sure the green light is on) and fylly press to complete the shot. if your subject does not moove, eg flowers, try 2-3 shots for fine tunning. Always remember some will come out spectacular, some will be for the dusbin!! haha, keep on photographing, I personaly love MACRO-shots as the one today, well done.

5 Sep 2007 8:35am

Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada

Looks to me like you captured another couple in wedded bliss and bridal wear :) As far as Macros are concerned I've tried many tricks, but let me tell you that occasionally you find a little treasure like the FinepixE500, fairly cheap cam but the macros are to die for, and all you need is to bring it up close to what you want to capture and press the macro button and get a masterpiece

5 Sep 2007 10:34am

Viewfinder from Bradenton, United States

Very nice Mandy; I like the mix of pinks and greens. And you especially did well on getting in on the green foliage in the foreground. You notice that the foreground is where the clearest point of focus seems to be?

Now a trifecta of other observations. 1) Yesterday and today, you chose tiny, clustery kinds of flowers that look as if they tend to grow together in a colony. It could be that macro is not the best way to photograph these, that a non-macro sweep of repetitive shapes/colors from just a little distance would do them justice, more than a macro... UNLESS... unless you zero in on only one flower or one small cluster and get as close to it as possible, ignoring the background and letting the camera take over. If I can guess, you're trying to keep a sort of impression of the area they are growing in. Better it be totally out of focus, very shallow dof preferable, esp. with small subjects like these tiny flowers. 2) You might want to look for some larger flowers while you are practicing, for the sake of zeroing in more readily -- roses, hibiscus, certain lilies and blooming vines come to mind. 3) Remembering that photographing a flower is like photographing a person, you just gotta try with different kinds of light, shadows, and angles, plus get in close and trust your instincts. You have a great eye and good timing; it's just a matter of time until you produce the next macro masterpiece of all time.

Oh, blessings and a big thank you for the very nice comments you made over at my site this morning. More over there from me.

5 Sep 2007 12:21pm

Rebecca from Leicester, United Kingdom

Wow, I think the far more experienced and skilled photographers above have a lot more wisdom to offer than I can in this field!! :)
I can only say I really like the two lilac-white ones you've captured at the top - simply exquisite!! :)

5 Sep 2007 12:57pm

Brian from United States

I like the depth that the two foreground blooms bring to the image. Very nice indeed.

5 Sep 2007 2:15pm

Amir from X, United States

Another perfect shot Mandy, nice contrast between green and pink.

5 Sep 2007 3:22pm

Laurie from Lincoln, United States

You did a nice job with these! What drew my attention were the leaves at the bottom. You really captured their texture. It looks like you got tons of advice already. I guess, what I can suggest is try using a tripod to kind of keep things steady and it's already been said, but take lots of pictures and choose the best one. And keep trying...can't wait to see more macros from you!

P.S. Bear and baby pics were adorable! You take really nice portraits!

5 Sep 2007 3:51pm

Markus from Reading, United Kingdom

Nice work with showing flowers + leaves having the same plane!

5 Sep 2007 5:17pm

framboisine from Pau, France

Very nice picture, so lovely flower,I cannot speak english very well but I m so happy to discover your job Françoise

5 Sep 2007 8:48pm

miu* from GA, United States

Hello,nice to meet you,Mandy.
I am interested in this flower.
What do you call them? Dose it have smell?
The shape of them is just like a little angel.
Sweet!

5 Sep 2007 11:46pm

MaryB from Staffordshire, United Kingdom

Mandy, I noticed you were asking for tips on macro, well I'm no expert, but what I do is, I pick a single flower or insect, as the focus of the picture, then I get the camera really close, and then I move away bit by bit till the focus is sharp, I usally use the viewfinder and not the screen. Also the macro setting is great as you can concentrate on the subject more :) I always take more than one shot of any close up. I hope that this helps you in some way :)

6 Sep 2007 9:17am

Relatos from Spain

Great colors and textures. I like this one. Saludos, Sandra R.

24 May 2008 8:30pm