logo for digital-photography-tips.net
[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines


Home
New Year 2012
My Story
Newsletter
Resources
Learn Photography Quick Tips!
Tutorials
Beginners
Articles
History of Digital
Nude Photography
Find it Fast!
Exposure Tips
Night Photography
Terminology
Making Money Photography Business
Wedding Checklist
Wedding Photography
Ebooks
Photo Themes Black and White Tips
Flower Photography
Travel Photography
Contribute Submit Photos
Contact us
Other photo areas Printing Tips
Comparison Guide
Software
Stereoscopic (3D)
d - p - t . net
Site search
LEFT for digital-photography-tips.net
 

Crystal clear

by Jessica
(Sarasota, Fl)

I took this picture using my new Nikon D40.

I love experimenting with focusing on certain areas of a picture so that other things are blurry. I like the contrast of it.

I was at a local park when I took this shot and thought it was a pretty neat picture.....but that's coming from an amateur! Ha.

I'd be interested to know what I could improve.

I have really enjoyed your website and your tips as well. Thanks!




(for convenience links below open in new windows)
Certainly found some colourful blooms in that local park!

Taking pictures of flowers should result in some fabulous results – after all, they're colourful, interesting shapes . . . what's not to like?

There are two ways to approach flower shots. Either capture a riot of colour taking in many blooms, or focus attention on just one flower.

Jessica clearly went for the latter here.

It's good to see that she has attempted to blur the background and keep the flower in sharp focus. It really helps the flower to stand out in the scene.

This effect is achieved by creative use of the aperture.

I don't know what aperture was set here, but I suspect it wasn't wide open. Had it been set wider the background would have been really thrown out of focus, which I think would have made a small improvement.

As it stands though, the flower in the foreground is really nice and crisply focussed – well done there!

The thing that really strikes me though is not the level of blur, but more the composition.

Take the flower first; it sits really low in the frame. I think it would have been better if it had sat higher in the frame, perhaps even portrait rather than landscape.

The second thing about the composition is the blue building in the background.

If Jessica had rotated around the flower a little then this blue building would have been removed from the frame completely. I think this would have really focussed the viewer on the flower.

The final tip I can suggest here is in post processing. Boost the contrast a little, and then the saturation, and I think the flower will really stand out.

All in all though this is a nice, well though out, photo.

Thanks Jesicca for the submission, and I hope there are a couple of useful tips here.

Ed.

Discover the secrets of professional photographers with these easy to learn photography tips

Click here to post comments.

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Digital photography tutorials - submissions, December 2008
.





Want even more photography tips and tricks?

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter, "Stay Focussed" and get even more digital photography tips.

Go to the Stay Focussed newsletter signup page
(opens in new window)


Return to digital-photography-tips.net home




Get help using your camera with the complete Digital SLR Guide



digital-photography-tips.net

Top 5 most popular pages:

1. Wedding photography tips

2. Using shutter speed creatively

3. Digital SLR Guide NEW!

4. Nude photography techniques

5. Painting with light