A little Color

by Lynette
(Lake of the Ozarks, MO)



I was visiting a botanical garden and loved the color contrast in these flowers. I was trying to get a good depth of field but am unsure of the focus.

Should I have also applied the rule of thirds in this shot? I am a beginner photographer and would like some tips. I used a Canon EOS Rebel XS camera.





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A few years ago I went to India. Fabulous country to visit. A photography opportunity around every corner and more than an outside chance of experiencing ‘Delhi Belly’ first hand.

For the photographer it really is the land of opportunity. Wander into any market and there you are faced with a riot of colour. And a riot on the ear-drums too as dusk falls and the diesel generators come to life.

And it’s not just the markets. The people dress brightly. Their faces have amazing character. Even the landscape holds photo promise.

One memory that will be with me for quite some time is the man who sat all day at his stall with a few grains of rice in front of him. And a paint brush which had about three bristles on it at best. And a pot of ink.

Not a combination to be found on most market stalls and walking past you could easily blink and miss the genius of the man. On each grain of sand, if you looked really carefully, there were letters.

Upon closer inspection, and with the aid of a magnifying glass, you could see that he had written a name on each grain. Amazing.

Which brings me on to Lynette’s photo. Walk past it and you wouldn’t think twice. Look at it again though and...unfortunately you wouldn’t think twice the second time either.

The reason for this is that there is no real point of focus in this photo. The red flower in the middle is, I think, the major focal point. But I’m only calling it there because it’s in the middle of the photo.

Lynette does mention the rule of thirds. This is a good rule to follow, but in this situation, because the focal point is too small, it might not really help much.

The problem is that that red flower is so small in the scene that it is lost in its surroundings. This is a situation where a zoom is necessary, or a closer vantage point is needed.

A crop might help the situation but I worry that a crop that severe might leave too few pixels for a good picture.

But maybe getting in closer will reveal some tiny writing written with a brush with three bristles!

Sorry to be so blunt, but I hope this is useful, and thanks Lynette for your submission.

Darrell.
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