gessman Loc: Colorado

...just so you ladies don't think I'm just all about bull elk, here comes my sissy side - what do you think about these apples? Tell me what I'm doing wrong with my flowers, please.

Look at the whiskers on that Iris


another wildlife shot


pollen inside a Moss Rose

Francis M Loc: Hawaii

Flowers look good. Maybe could have had a bigger depth of field on the first iris so more of it would be in focus, but it's all good. 8-)
Try stopping down more with a longer shutter

Sabaideejack Loc: Appleton WI

Great shots gessman! I'm taking Francis M's critique as I sometimes open my aperture too much and part of my subject (flowers) are out of focus. Love the ladybug!. I need to learn more about macro photography (Love the pollen inside the moss rose). Keep sharing...I like the "sissy" side of ya. ;-)

gessman Loc: Colorado

Thanks Francis. I was sitting at the dining room table, had just cleaned my lens, looked up and saw the solitary iris in a vase on the table in front of me, backlit by the light coming through the sheer peach colored draps, raised my camera and took one shot, haphazardly and thought it had SOME merit, and you're sure right, I should have at least bracketed if I wasn't going to pay closer attention. I'd been having some spots on some shots so I was trying to determine if it was the lens or the sensor. I already had some extension tubes onboard for something else I was doing. This is one of those "not set up almost good serendipitous shots." I'll do better next time and thanks again.

DB Loc: Myrtle Beach, SC

I like them... the "there I am ~ take my picture" spontaneity of the Iris photo is great. I know I'm a beginner and many photographic critics will disagree with me but ever shot in my most humble opinion doesn't need to "set up". Maybe you could have done a few things differently with the photo, but the moment is preserved... and to me that is what counts.

tilde531 Loc: Seaford Delaware

My WORD!!
*HUGE smiles*

These are great... not that I'd expect anything else from you!
"Sissy side", though!?

Naw... wouldn't say THAT at all!

Talent, man... just good ol' fashioned talent.

Thanks for sharing :)

gessman Loc: Colorado

Thanks footshift. I love doing macro stuff. I especially like doing macro of everyday items and trying to disguise them so they become a bit of a puzzlement that makes the mind work a little. These are all a little too straight to fit into that genre. Gotta keep trying.

gessman Loc: Colorado

"Thank you kindly, dear lady," he said as he bowed and blushed and asked, "were you laboring under the misassumption that I wander daily only in the dark, dense, forest, stalking and finding prey that makes grown men shake from an attack of "buck fever" and fall to their knees, wailing, in obvious pain, pounding the ground with their clenched fists in a fit of mental anguish and eternal jealousy due to a lack of an opportunity to be me?" The mystery is solved and it is true - I only drink Dos Equis. :-D

Sharon98115 Loc: Indiana

The iris is a materpiece of color. Soft shades of pink, peach, coral and a vibrant orange. The pedals have soft fluted edges and the veins within the petals are visible. Beautiful colors. Excellent work.

gessman Loc: Colorado

Thank you. You saw what I saw. You maketh my heart flutter, the feminine side, of course.

BUTTLERGILES

I AM TAKING FLOWER PHOTOS..LOVE THIS SITE..I AM MAKING PHOTO BOOKS OF DEB'S GARDEN.. THESE ARE GREAT. WHAT DO YOU GUYS KNOW ABOUT PHOTO SCANNERS..JUST GOT A CANNON 9000f..NOT SURE HOW TO USE IT YET..ALSO HAVE SOME FILM CAMERAS..SOME BEGINNING CLASSES AT HIGH SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY COLLEGES CLASSES REQUIRE FILM CAMERAS TO START WITH.BLACK AND WHITE FILM IS EXPENSIVE TO DEVELOP IF YOUR NOT DOING YOUR OWN.

Kathi Loc: Pennsylvania

gessman, I keep looking for posts by you as you continually lead me to ponder various ideas. In addition to loving your photos, I can tell you are a reader by the eloquent way you write... love it all! The iris, by the way, is my favorite in this set.

Strubbles

Well, here I am... not an expert, but I do a lot of flowers, many of which I am not happy with. The iris is not in focus. I would suggest that you either capture the entire flower or zoom in closer to get just a part. But focus.

The ladybug image... that should be your center of interest... and better focus is needed again... unless you focus just on the ladybug.

The third image, the pollen, is the most interesting of the three. Stand a little further back so that you can get the whole picture of the pollen covered whatever they are called. I forget at the moment. I do that a lot, forget. It is better to have to crop a little than to chop off important elements, in my mind.

gessman Loc: Colorado

Thank you strubbles. If ever I find my way back there again, I'll sure take your suggestions. I tend to move on but I'm sure I can find other situations in the future to which I can apply your ideas. Never without a variety of examples, I may have some that would appease you more other than the iris which was a one-time shot but I wouldn't bother you with them even if I knew where they were. You've made your point well and I've taken it accordingly. Thanks.

gessman Loc: Colorado

1. May I plead with you to drop down to lower case letters. All upper letters case connotes yelling on the Internet. I don't care to be yelled at. I have a wife. :-)

2. I envy you and your romp through Deb's garden.

3. I'm betting that your Canon 9000f film scanner is at least 4 & 1/2 times better'n mine which is a Nikon 2000, let's see 2 into 9 will go 4 times and carry the 1 and that leaves, lets see, what's half of 2... plus a "f" (yay me) and I bet you'll soon learn how to use it. Like riding a bike, you only have to be successful once to become a real bike rider.

4. Happy for you and the classes. Do good, ya hear!

5. So, if time permits, develop your own. Since you have a film scanner, you could develop your own film in a bathroom, scan 'em into your computer and print your own prints if you have a printer - and you can do all of that pretty inexpensively. All you need is a small one roll stainless developing tank for the film and the chemicals which were being packaged in single application packs. Perhaps that's your plan is. It'd be simple to do if you can get away with printing your own - I mean if the quality is up to what your profs demand. If not and you choose to do it the old way, as you may already know, in addition to the developing tank you need a timer, an enlarger which you can find cheap used at garage or yard sales, craigslist.com, three trays, 3 plastic mixing/storage bottles for the chemicals, some paper, and a red light bulb. In fact, in the adverts, or on Craigslist, if you find an enlarger for sale there's an odds on chance that the rest of the stuff will be available too. Don't overlook thrift stores. I just donated two enlargers. You can do it in your bathroom if in an apartment or wherever. You don't need temp control with b&w so you're good to go.