flowers
May 5, 2018 10:30:14 #
May 5, 2018 10:37:51 #
Thank you all so much for all the ideas , I will have some playing around to do for the next week or so. Some of the info you guys mentioned is a little too technical for me, but I will keep trying, I will post the info on the exposures in a day or so. thanks again
May 5, 2018 10:39:13 #
bjwags wrote:
Just want to ask yu experts about pictures I took ... (show quote)
To answer this: What kind of backround would make these better, not so bright?
Put a black cloth or black board behind them or take with a wall as a background.
May 5, 2018 13:33:49 #
As others have mentioned set your camera for single point center focus with the smallest single point tartget setting. That will get you just one single square in the middle of the viewfinder or live view screen. You aim that target at the center of the flower. I always use the lowest iso available.
When you experiment with different apertures and shutter speeds you will see they can make a big difference in the final shot. Same with focal length of the lens. I've taken flowers with a 300mm lens, with a 30mm lens, and everything in between. I've used wide apertures for shorter depth of field and higher apertures for longer depth of field. The more you experiment the more you will learn what the camera, lenses and settings will produce. You can also learn some post processing to tweak the shadows and highlights, get more contrast and get the colors to pop. Good luck.
Attached is a shot taken with a 15-30 mm wide angle lens, at 30mm, less than a foot away from the flower. Settings are f9.5, 1/60 sec., iso 80, handheld in bright sunlight. The center is in sharp focus but you get some DOF blurring on the flower and more on the leaves to the bottom left and upper right. The image is cropped.
When you experiment with different apertures and shutter speeds you will see they can make a big difference in the final shot. Same with focal length of the lens. I've taken flowers with a 300mm lens, with a 30mm lens, and everything in between. I've used wide apertures for shorter depth of field and higher apertures for longer depth of field. The more you experiment the more you will learn what the camera, lenses and settings will produce. You can also learn some post processing to tweak the shadows and highlights, get more contrast and get the colors to pop. Good luck.
Attached is a shot taken with a 15-30 mm wide angle lens, at 30mm, less than a foot away from the flower. Settings are f9.5, 1/60 sec., iso 80, handheld in bright sunlight. The center is in sharp focus but you get some DOF blurring on the flower and more on the leaves to the bottom left and upper right. The image is cropped.
bjwags wrote:
Thank you Bob, but how do I get a sharp focal point? I am new to photogaphy and learning mostly by reading and taking a lot of pictures and playing around with the exposures. I dont quite i understand the little lights in the eye piece for focus - the little squares in the view finder. I cant figure out how to use those. thank you for replying so quickly!
May 5, 2018 14:51:18 #
And don’t forget about fixing the light issue in post-processing. You can brighten the shadows and darken the highlights. But focus has to be done correctly in the camera.
May 5, 2018 15:40:47 #
berchman wrote:
How were you able to hold that big and heavy camera and lens steady in one hand? What did you use for a flag?
It's only heavy if you aren't accustomed to it. If my normal camera was a point and shoot, or a M4/3 then the D810 and Sigma 150 would be intolerably heavy.
I use a piece of black hobby foam and gaffing tape to hold it onto the speedlight's head.
I got the idea from https://neilvn.com/tangents/about/black-foamie-thing/, but I don't use it for bounce in this instance.
I keep the shutter speed at max sync - 1/250 to further minimize any ambient light from getting into the scene.
Oh, and I ignore all of the really good advice about loss of sharpness due to diffraction - at these distances the fine details and textures are several pixels wide, so using F22 is generally not going to be an issue.
May 5, 2018 16:03:17 #
I shot these with the lens wide open for shallow depth of field. f5.6 @55mm on a 18mm-55mm zoom at minimum focus (less than a foot from lens). I used a strobe for the light source.
I used a vignette effect in post to cut down the bright white background drawing your attention more to the center.
I used a vignette effect in post to cut down the bright white background drawing your attention more to the center.
May 5, 2018 18:24:16 #
Being that sometimes I shoot indoors - The choice of backgrounds are numeral. Planning ahead is good and you can use a tripod, flash (fill-flash), and all sorts of backdrops. Seeing in the "mind's eye" and pre-visualizing sets the "stage" where you may make really good floral prints.
I do a majority of my work in the field. Sometimes I use a tripod, other times I did not bring one on the walking around. Often I take my Sony A-6000. This one was captured with a Canon 5D Mark II with a 100mm 1.8 lens - F-Stop was set at 2.8.
The second one was with the Sony..
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I do a majority of my work in the field. Sometimes I use a tripod, other times I did not bring one on the walking around. Often I take my Sony A-6000. This one was captured with a Canon 5D Mark II with a 100mm 1.8 lens - F-Stop was set at 2.8.
The second one was with the Sony..
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Canon 5D Mark II - 100mm // F-2.8 //No Fill-Flash
F-5.6 // Fill-Flash. Sony - A-6000
May 5, 2018 19:13:18 #
May 6, 2018 00:00:47 #
May 6, 2018 11:32:05 #
bjwags wrote:
i dont have a flash except the flash on the camera (Canon 5i) will that work?
===============
The photo from the Sony A-6000 was an "Onboard" flash. I did regulate the flash to only use one third (1/3) of the power output. IF your camera may do That, You will get shots like the one I have dispaled.
Above all, and I tell ALL of my students this, Read, READ, READ. I am an Autodidact, so with the part of READING EVERYTHING, I have educated myself throughout my life. Education is a Lifelong endeavor. I think that if it were NOT for the learning process of the art and science of Photography -- I would have quit 50 years ago.
:-)
May The Light Be With You....
James..
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May 6, 2018 13:38:53 #
bjwags wrote:
i dont have a flash except the flash on the camera (Canon 5i) will that work?
Not so well for closeups - the light will be flat and harsh. I used a cheap manual flash I bought on eBay for $10 and a pair of Yongnuo radio triggers. Total out of pocket, including the foam bounce and flag was about $35.
May 6, 2018 14:03:59 #
Gene51 wrote:
Not so well for closeups - the light will be flat and harsh. I used a cheap manual flash I bought on eBay for $10 and a pair of Yongnuo radio triggers. Total out of pocket, including the foam bounce and flag was about $35.
Agree. Multiple flash can also be useful to create pleasing lighting ratios, and to separate the flower from its background. Too many neglect back-lighting as a creative choice.
May 6, 2018 18:56:39 #
yes I agree about the read"Dummies" book for my camers, its much better than the manuel. I also have purchaced a couple photograph books for DSLR Im getting better at manuel exposures,mostly of flowers and trying birds . And watching some you tube videos. Its fun to try to figure it out.
May 6, 2018 22:33:09 #
Composition; lighting; background; focus. There are no shortcuts. You need to work at each one of those on each shot. Here are some I took the last couple of days. Not saying they are great or anything, but they illustrate those points. Conscious decisions were made on each of those. These may not be to your taste - you will develop your own style. 1/100th sec., f16, diffused off-camera flash.
Mike
Mike
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