Good old England

[Paradox]

Well, I went out and snapped of about 60 shots today to test out the FZ50. I went for a variety, close ups, landscapes, that kind of thing. I'm getting better with the Depth of Field, now what needs work is exposure - you'll notice the landscapes are usually underexposed, for example. I might take a tripod next time so I can get away with longer shutter speeds.

Anyway, I'm one for a bit of post-processing (Not as fun as the photography, but it can make a difference if you've stuffed up a picture), so I'll post shots up here once I've edited them. Please, feel free to leave me some C&C on them - I've just started out really, I could use some advice. :)

I'll begin with three of my close-up shots.

Elderflower - A close up of what I believe to be an Elderflower. Not sure though. Never was a plant person.
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/ParadoxGFX/Photography/ElderflowerSmall.png

Dandelion - This one I know pretty much for certain isn't a Dandelion (Or a Daffodil if you look at the link, that was a senile moment right there. :p ), but the name was the closest I could think of to what it looked like. This was probably my favorite image of the shoot though.
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/ParadoxGFX/Photography/DaffodilSmall.png

Bloom - This picture of a wild daisy I thought was quite nice as well - the title came about due to the daisy in the centre being in bloom and the others shrivelling.
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/ParadoxGFX/Photography/BloomSmall.png

Falls - I liked this picture myself, it was a shot of an area of our local river.
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/ParadoxGFX/Photography/FallsSmall.png

[Lilchilichoco]

Nice Paradox. I love the daisy. In the first,the flowers get a little lost in the background. Perhaps you could try selective coloring. Nice falls too. I'll be in London this August. I hope to capture some of England then:)





Best Regards

[Paradox]

Yes I noticed that the flowers got a bit swamped in the first. But it was my first attempt at getting some sort of depth of field, and I didn't quite get it, so the background stayed sharper than I intended. Managed for the Dandelion though. ;) Thanks for the comment. :)

[Lilchilichoco]

Absolutely! The bokeh in that one is fabulous! :)





Best Regards

[Paradox]

Something I discovered later on was that for macro you have to zoom out to full wide angle, practically insert the subject into the lens, and then do a lot of twiddling on the focus ring. By which time your subject insect has got bored and flown off. I need to get in more practice, so I can work this thing faster. :p

[Paradox]

Flowers - Aptly titled because I didn't know what type it was. My tremendous horticultural knowledge proven again. :rolleyes:
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/ParadoxGFX/Photography/FlowersSmall.png

Lily - My creative genius at naming yet again, but that's what it is.
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/ParadoxGFX/Photography/LilySmall.png

Bridge - ...And again. The small humpback bridge that is the oldest part of our village.
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/ParadoxGFX/Photography/BridgeSmall.png

[SpecialK]

Hi:


"Elderflower" lost in the background as you realize. Also, profile view does not show flower - would have shot down on it...

"Dandelion" also distracting BG...

Bloom too small, too much green on left. Three flowers on right too rudimentary...

"Falls" not too interesting, sorry.

"Flowers" is unbalanced with too much asphalt on left....

"Lily" is excellent. The elements around the edges makes the centered flower stand out well.

"Bridge" is ruined by powerlines. I might have tried for a closer shot. Or...crop way down, just under the wires to make it look like a panorama - turns out much nicer with less sky, I think.

Cheers, and keep shooting :-)