A different take on flower macro. C&C welcome

[Rooz]

ok, this person wanted something a little different from the normal flower macros. the first image is an example of the originals which i was pretty happy with anyway. colour etc was great. the rest are just B&W conversions with a very heavy levels and curves applied.

sigma 150mm f2.8 and both flashes used remotely in various positions, (now i want another sb800...3 flashes would have been ideal :D), to get some light and shade. iso's and apertures are also all over the place depending on highlight recovery, angle etc. can't remember which is which now. exif is there.

would appreciate some C&C on how they turned out b4 i show the person cos this is a little different for me and i don;t normally rate B&W flower pics.

[tim11]

That's beautiful Rooz. Your feminine side is showing. :D
Just joking mate. That's what people say to me after they see the photos I took; maybe because they see the flower shots? I hope.......

What's the tip on the first shot? You cut the flower and put it up high or did you lay down on the ground and point the camera up?

[Esoterra]

Hey rooz, nice composition. I like how you think outside the box and give us an idea of what its like looking at the world thru a flowers perspective. Colors are vivid and bright. Black and Whites are nice to, although I prefer that color picture. Job well done.

[toriaj]

A client who wanted macro shots? Wow, you really are moving up in the world :D

I like #3. The composition with the curving petals pleases my eye. I'd love to see it in color. I'm not crazy about the "sun flare" in #2, and #4 doesn't really make sense to my eye -- instead of enjoying the pic, I'm trying to figure out what it is.

Very well done though, of course. I'm curious, I noticed on flickr how you said that the slight blur was due to the wind. In that case, why did you use an aperture of f/20 and ss 1/80? I'm sure you had a reason :)

[Prospero]

Nice set of pictures Rooz. I like no. 1 and no. 3.
I really like the colours in the first.
The composition of the third is really good. Very nice.

I don't really like the last. There are too many blown out pettals covering the scene. The subject doesn't really stand out here.

[Rooz]

thanks everyone for the feedback. i think the colour ones win which means its back to the drawing board. lol

tim: laying down on the deck and pointed cam up to sky to eliminate any background.

tor: i thought i'd nailed it just before the wind gust hit. i reviewed it on the LCD and it seemed fine. it was only afterwards i ntocied the blur which is extremely annoying now ! :p i used f20 to get the colours as intense as possble and i don;t have CPL for the sigma yet. i also wanted as much detail as possible in the stem.

i originally shot eveything for colour but it didn;t grab him so i tried for B&W. i think i may need more texture for it to work.

[toriaj]

i used f20 to get the colours as intense as possble and i don;t have CPL for the sigma yet. i also wanted as much detail as possible in the stem.

I know what you mean about using a small aperture to get details, but how does it affect colors? You've got me very curious now!!

[Rooz]

I know what you mean about using a small aperture to get details, but how does it affect colors? You've got me very curious now!!

its something i learnt during my film days actually, remote and multiple flashes just means that you can get a much better and brighter result. that first image is "as is". no colour stauration in PP. less light means that colours are far richer, this works especially for blues and greens. so you use the flash to illuminate the flower and expose it correctly but the sky is an extreme, intense blue to provide the contrast.

if you use levels and curves in PP then your flower tones become too saturated and dark. this is something i found can only be achieved in camera. PP is either impossible or far too time consuming and difficult given the sharp edges of the petals would be very complicated to selectively

here is an example of the same sky using f10 to show how different it can be.

[drama]

Rooz

Sorry to sound negative, being blunt, I am not enjoying any of these

The crops seem too random, exposures flaky
The 3'rd & 4'th BW's, have highlights blown out, there is blur on the petals
I really cant see what you are trying to show here

What exactly does your client want ?
This looks perfect, for "I hate flowers"

[toriaj]

its something i learnt during my film days actually, remote and multiple flashes just means that you can get a much better and brighter result. that first image is "as is". no colour stauration in PP. less light means that colours are far richer, this works especially for blues and greens. so you use the flash to illuminate the flower and expose it correctly but the sky is an extreme, intense blue to provide the contrast...
here is an example of the same sky using f10 to show how different it can be.

Okay, just to make sure I understand ...
You like to light the subject with remote and flash lighting, so as to illuminate only the subject while leaving the background dark -- that's how you get the beautiful dark skies.

If I have that right, here's my question: if you used the same lighting setup and strength, but instead of using f/20 and 1/80, you used f/11 and 1/500 (or whatever the exactly equivalent exposure would be,) would the colors be the same? (I understand that the DOF would not be the same.)

Wow, Drama, you know how to be blunt! :D I'm sure Rooz can take it. But FWIW, Rooz, this last one you posted is my favorite :) I love the composition. But I agree it would be even more stunning with a dark sky!

[Rooz]

If I have that right, here's my question: if you used the same lighting setup and strength, but instead of using f/20 and 1/80, you used f/11 and 1/500 (or whatever the exactly equivalent exposure would be,) would the colors be the same? (I understand that the DOF would not be the same.)

good question. :confused: i just did a quick search and found some at f11 @ 1/250s and its not quite as vivid but it is darker. you're probably right it should turn out as dark, but would the colour be as vivid ? not sure about that. will have to give that a try next time. :)

thanx for the feedback drama. it's hard to take "something different" flower portraits and i've done a heck of alot of em. there are only so many angles/ perspectives you can do. so sometimes you have to think of something out of the square to see if it works. hey...it's not a dragonfly or gathering moss i guess...but anything's worth a try when digital is free and i'm just about all outta ideas. :)

[Lilchilichoco]

Wow!! Sometimes it hits me hard that I don't quite understand the mechanics of shutter and aperture......I should hang that camera behind the door:)......then again....no way!!....I'm going to learn...:D


Rooz and Tori , thanks for this discussion. I love the colors of the first and the last and I love the third. Do you think the third could take a little more contrast to give it a little more drama? (hey drama!!:D) Just a thought though coz I like it anyway.


The 4th does have distracting contrasts, but as far as art goes, it could work for some. I like it.

Thanks for sharing Rooz and these are really beautiful!










Best Regards

[Rooz]

it may not look like it now but this is actually another sb800 and some other bits and pieces. :)

this came from using a snooted flash to highlight the flower and a fast shutter. intrersting what some people end up liking huh ? certainly different.

[Prospero]

good question. :confused: i just did a quick search and found some at f11 @ 1/250s and its not quite as vivid but it is darker. you're probably right it should turn out as dark, but would the colour be as vivid ? not sure about that. will have to give that a try next time. :)


I think what causes the colour of the sky to be that vivid is not the aperture, but the exposure value (combination of aperture, shutterspeed and ISO).

When you use a flash, this only affects the foreground. The background (here the sky) is too far away and therefore does not get any light of the flash.

Colours are the most vivid at one exposure value. If you have determined this exposure value (by trial and error or metering), you can select the shutterspeed, ISO, and apperture that give this value.

One thing to keep in mind here is that the maximum flash synchronisation speed is 1/500s, so faster shutterspeeds cannot be selected.

When taking the shot, the flash's metering system will then determine what amount of light is needed to illuminate the foreground given the chosen exposure value.

So, in this case, if you had opened up the apperture by the same amount of f-stops as you raised the shutterspeed, you would have had the same background colour (but a different DOF).

You can also use this approach with darker backgrounds to get black backgrounds. You chose an exposure value low enough for the background to be entirely blacked out and then let the flash give the flower the right exposure.



Nice picture of the dead flower Rooz, great colours and use of flash.

[toriaj]

So, in this case, if you had opened up the apperture by the same amount of f-stops as you raised the shutterspeed, you would have had the same background colour (but a different DOF).

Thanks for the explanation, Dennis!

[paulndyment]

Wait, how do u upload??? :confused:

[paulndyment]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2133/1766321765_3ced5daf2c.jpg?v=0http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2259/1766335897_cf7eedf602_b.jpg

[Rooz]

the water droplet one is a great shot.