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Flowers for my wife!

J

James Newman

Member
I have not been here in a while and wanted to drop by and say hello. I recently purchased a new camera and have really been enjoying it. I went from my Nikon D40, which I still love, to a D200, which I also love. It is quite a magnificent piece of equipment for someone like me. The D200 is a lot more camera than the D40 and I am still learning how to use it but so far I am very happy with its results. I'm also still buying flowers for my lovely wife to use as my subjects. I bought this rose mainly because I liked the coloring of it. It was just a single flower but it was shaped very nicely and as I said, the colors were wonderful. I think I have captured them as true to life as I could get. Tomorrow is my wife's birthday so I will have a new bunch to shoot. As always, in my effort to continue learning and improving, any and all criticism is welcomed. I have learned more just from lurking and reading here than any other place and I plan on that continuing. James
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J

janet Smith

pro member
Hello James

Congratulations on your new camera and these 2 shots, I prefer the first one, well done. The second one, from my point of view, would have been better with a slightly shallower DOF, throwing the rear of the petals into a soft blur. Look forward to seeing your wife's birthday present...lucky girl!!
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
James,

Your wife is a good driving force for your art! Seems like an excellent arrangement. Happy birthday to her from all of your fellow conspirators!

Asher
 
J

James Newman

Member
Instead of starting a new thread for my same old tired subjects, I will just add to this dead one. This is another flower shot (bought for the wife) that I took with my Nikon D200 and 105mm VR macro lens. The flower was lit with light coming through two windows in our dining room/my studio:) It was taken at ISO 100, f/8, at 1/5 sec exposure time. The shot was taken from up high on my tripod and the blue background is actually the felt top of my poker table. I was pleased with the clarity of the petals but I am thinking the yellow may be a bit overpowering. Perhaps it is because of the background that it just looks that way to me. Anyway, you are welcome to give any suggestions you might have as to how this might have been done better. I am still learning the camera and what it will do as well as the lens. I also just got Mike Hagen's Guide to Using the Nikon Creative Lighting System so I have another year's worth of reading and experimenting to look forward to.
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B

Bart_van_der_Wolf

pro member
James Newman said:
Instead of starting a new thread for my same old tired subjects, I will just add to this dead one. This is another flower shot (bought for the wife) that I took with my Nikon D200 and 105mm VR macro lens.
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Hi James,

You've nailed this one quite well. The yellow to (subdued) blue color contrast is a no-brainer, but the lighting and exposure is phenomenal/moody. I also like the balance between the OOF glass vase/bottle and the in-focus petals (nice bokeh, by the way). The aspect ratio, and the ever so slightly excentrical crop is as it should be, balanced to the subject.

I'd say, the eye saw, the photographer eternalized ..., well done.

Bart


P.S. The fact you also chose to color your name's font speaks of attention to detail, I like it.
 
J

janet Smith

pro member
Hello James

Beautiful shot, well done! Just a very minor picky point, I photograph flowers too and something that immediately struck me was the flaw on one of the petals on the left hand side, the lower of the ones projecting farthest to the left, I would get my healing brush or cloning tool onto that small flaw, and then voila Perfection!!

Thank you for sharing, what a lucky wife!!
 
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J

janet Smith

pro member
Nicolas Claris said:
Why not little part left for chaos? I like it!
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Hi Nic

Good point - I like it too, very much, but as with all things, it is just personal taste, and I prefer my flowers to be perfect, I spend many hours picking off aphids in my garden trying to ensure that they are as perfect as possible. Also I know that the resulting photographs sell better when the flowers are perfect.

Ironic in an imperfect world, but there you go, such is life!! Have a lovely day.
 
Asher Kelman

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
janet Smith said:
I spend many hours picking off aphids in my garden trying to ensure that they are as perfect as possible. /QUOTE]
What do you do with them, Janet!

I know they must be nutritious since ants husband them and march them around like we herd cows, LOL!

Now wouldn't that be a great opportunity for Macro photography, a line of your captive aphids on a flower stem, silhouteted against the setting sun!

Asher
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J

janet Smith

pro member
Asher Kelman said:
janet Smith said:
I spend many hours picking off aphids in my garden trying to ensure that they are as perfect as possible. /QUOTE]
What do you do with them, Janet! Now wouldn't that be a great opportunity for Macro photography, a line of your captive aphids on a flower stem, silhouteted against the setting sun!Asher
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How funny Asher, squash them of course (LOL)!!! what a great idea for a shot, will have to wait till next summer now, no aphids left in my garden now too chilly for the little monsters!!
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