David Kepley
January 2025 - Flame
About the Image(s)
I took this picture in my yard last spring. It is of an iris. I used a very shallow DOF to focus our attention on the tiny structure inside the blossom. I let everything else go very soft. Does it work?
Settings: Canon R7 with a 100mm macro lens on a tripod. 1/200 sec, f5.0, ISO 400. I used the usual sliders in LRC to process the image.
3 comments posted
Very interesting view of a flower. There are sharp areas of the blossom on the left and on the right. Since you are trying to concentrate the viewers eye on the central part of the blossom, I find that these sharp areas are pulling my eye away from what you are really trying to concentrate on. The part of the blossom that is in the lower part of the photo is very blurry. I think that if this part of the blossom were also in focus that it would aid in drawing attention to the central part of the blossom. Posted: 01/10/2025 22:24:36
OK, thanks. I wasn't sure about that! Posted: 01/10/2025 22:40:39
Hey David
This is an interesting image - it's always fun to see a unique take on a subject we're used to seeing. I really like your use of the shallow DOF and agree with Alan that blurring the sharp pedals on the left and right would help strengthen your intent and the overall presentation. It also creates a natural sort of vignette, further supporting your goal here.
Unless it's intentional, the overall exposure of this image is a little dark so you could play with bumping the highlights and whites in that center area a bit too.
Thanks for sharing!
Josh Posted: 01/22/2025 03:10:34
This is an interesting image - it's always fun to see a unique take on a subject we're used to seeing. I really like your use of the shallow DOF and agree with Alan that blurring the sharp pedals on the left and right would help strengthen your intent and the overall presentation. It also creates a natural sort of vignette, further supporting your goal here.
Unless it's intentional, the overall exposure of this image is a little dark so you could play with bumping the highlights and whites in that center area a bit too.
Thanks for sharing!
Josh Posted: 01/22/2025 03:10:34