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Comments
A decent result, and I have a couple of thoughts here...
This seems a little dark and lacking in contrast: if this is how it was out of the camera, a little work with exposure and Levels might be a good idea. It looks better viewed large, which brings in a black background, but there's still, I think, a need for a little more pep.
Was there a problem with access? 300mm and a teleconverter on a crop-frame sensor is making for a load of difficulty - my own tendency is to shoot almost everything with an 85mm lens on full frame, and I reckon that anything between 50mm and 100mm would work well, if you can get close enough.
You need the high ISO and fairly-high shutter speed to cope with subject movement - indeed, I'd go higher than that and open the aperture a little, which would also allow the background to drift further out of focus. It's worked out fine here, but it's towards the brink if there's the slightest breeze.
Did you do any work on the background, or is this as shot? In your last image, you were interested in the replacement of the background, as I recall.
This seems a little dark and lacking in contrast: if this is how it was out of the camera, a little work with exposure and Levels might be a good idea. It looks better viewed large, which brings in a black background, but there's still, I think, a need for a little more pep.
Was there a problem with access? 300mm and a teleconverter on a crop-frame sensor is making for a load of difficulty - my own tendency is to shoot almost everything with an 85mm lens on full frame, and I reckon that anything between 50mm and 100mm would work well, if you can get close enough.
You need the high ISO and fairly-high shutter speed to cope with subject movement - indeed, I'd go higher than that and open the aperture a little, which would also allow the background to drift further out of focus. It's worked out fine here, but it's towards the brink if there's the slightest breeze.
Did you do any work on the background, or is this as shot? In your last image, you were interested in the replacement of the background, as I recall.
Hi there John, The red hot pokers were placed far from the pathways. That's the only reason I used the large lens. In normal circumstances I would use my Tamron 90mm. I could have presented the shot as out of the camera as the green leaves behind it were out of focus. I'll probably upload that next. For this shot I wanted a darker background so I took a shot of a black piece of mountboard on my smartphone and I have used that as a texture. It's just that I want to keep practicising using textures and brushing the textures from the flower / plant. I only found out a couple of days ago I have a free copy of Topaz Studio 2 - that I had forgotten about - which has a myriad of effects and textures which will no doubt be a great source in the future. Thanks for taking the trouble to comment John. It is appreciated. David
I find John's notes are very apt and I think trying out his suggestions, would stand you in good stead, David. As another EPZer's said, as long as you are happy that is the main thing. Most photographers over a period of time, develop their own method of working and once you get to that stage you will find results tend to flow.
Ian
Ian
Great shot David love the colour too
Carole
Carole
I like the composition of this one (and by the way you chose a challenging subject with all the intricate flowers), perhaps a little tweak on the levels may have lifted the colours a little, as normally these 'pokers' are really vibrant and this one is just a little on the dull side (for me anyway). Good work though!
Carole
Carole
Quite nice, David, it's good to see you getting out and trying out the advice that you have been given.
Glad you included some of the stem in this one, and that you kept it straight.
My preference is for the warm background that you used before, though there is nothing wrong with this green one.
My method of amalgamating subject and background is simply pasting my flower onto my background, and then I will select (pick) the flower and make adjustments to contrast and brightness, after which I select the background and do the same. There is a fine balance to be achieved here. I keep making adjustments until I feel happy with both. If I had been doing this red hot poker, I would probably have added some contrast and brightness to the flower.
Just one other little thing, David, see what you think about taking your flower away from the centre of the frame, having it either slightly to the right or the left, and with a bit more width to your frame. Just because the flower is tall and slim, the frame doesn't have to be.
Keep up the good work.
Glad you included some of the stem in this one, and that you kept it straight.
My preference is for the warm background that you used before, though there is nothing wrong with this green one.
My method of amalgamating subject and background is simply pasting my flower onto my background, and then I will select (pick) the flower and make adjustments to contrast and brightness, after which I select the background and do the same. There is a fine balance to be achieved here. I keep making adjustments until I feel happy with both. If I had been doing this red hot poker, I would probably have added some contrast and brightness to the flower.
Just one other little thing, David, see what you think about taking your flower away from the centre of the frame, having it either slightly to the right or the left, and with a bit more width to your frame. Just because the flower is tall and slim, the frame doesn't have to be.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the extra info, David. I did wonder if you'd done work on the background, as it was so much the focus of your previous post.
Possibly because of my continued occasional use of film, I'm very much concerned with the camerawork, and haven't ever learned to use layers: I may not, ever...
And, of course, it's your picture, and you can develop the skills you want to!
Possibly because of my continued occasional use of film, I'm very much concerned with the camerawork, and haven't ever learned to use layers: I may not, ever...
And, of course, it's your picture, and you can develop the skills you want to!
