KatieR

It looks like you've got a bit too close to the flower for this shot - the camera has focussed behind on the leaves.

Take a step back - you can always crop the shot a little afterwards to make the subject bigger in the frame.

Your phone is quite capable - your earlier rose shot shows it can do good close-ups.

You've got some nice shots - keep experimenting!

The orange/ clementine has come out really well in the soft light - loads of detail.

Personally, I would crop the wood out and consider a different colour background to help complement the vase and fruit.

Great pose, but on looking at the large version there's something not quite right - you seem to have lost detail and got some unusual patterning in the background. Have you compressed this heavily, perhaps?

You need to choose a wide aperture - if you select the AV setting (which gives you control of the aperture) you want to get the lowest number you can. On your lens it will be something like f3.5 of f4, maybe.

You select the number using the dial and the camera will automatically change the shutter speed.

There is a reciprocal relationship between the aperture and shutter speed - when one changes, the other has to change in order to get the same amount of light into the camera.

Watch out, though - if the shutter speed gets too low (say slower than 1/60 of a second) you might get a shaky picture (though your lens has some stabilisation, which will help). Experiment and see.

The depth of focus is altered by other things, such as the distance you are from your subject, and how far they are from the background, but basically in this case you want to consider the lens aperture.

Get yourself a good basic book and you'll find some helpful advice. It's an important thing to know to make the best of your camera.

Great expression captured.

I wonder if a shallower depth of field might be more appropriate to set her better against the background, though - to soften the details and make her stand out.