Fran Nunn
May 2023 - Golden current
About the Image(s)
Golden currant blooms in the yard
Canon 5DMark III
Canon 100 mm f2.8 macro lens
Aperture priority, 1/400 sec at f4.5, ISO 640
9 comments posted
I like this picture. The subject and colours are interesting. There's limited depth of field, but you've got the focus right on the closest edge which is great. The simplicity of the colours and the little area of red work well for me.
I think I would crop off say 10% of the height from the top and maybe 20% of the width from the right as those parts add little for me. Posted: 05/16/2023 15:10:41
I think I would crop off say 10% of the height from the top and maybe 20% of the width from the right as those parts add little for me. Posted: 05/16/2023 15:10:41
Nicely done; the softness works well for this to create a dreaminess with just the one part in sharp focus. Because it is the piece closest to me as viewer, it work perfectly to focus my eye without any discomfort. Your white balance feels correct, and your background gives it environment without distraction. I also really like your placement in the frame and the crop you've used. Posted: 05/16/2023 20:33:50
I'm starting to realise that my "crop it tight" approach is out of fashion!
I was talking to a very experienced judge last weekend who also said to me that smaller prints (smaller than A3 in a 500x400 mount, down to A4) are becoming more popular in salons and competitions now, to "increase the apparent detail refinement".
I used to say "fashion is a dirty word", but it seems I've got to follow it in photography! Posted: 05/24/2023 00:55:09
I was talking to a very experienced judge last weekend who also said to me that smaller prints (smaller than A3 in a 500x400 mount, down to A4) are becoming more popular in salons and competitions now, to "increase the apparent detail refinement".
I used to say "fashion is a dirty word", but it seems I've got to follow it in photography! Posted: 05/24/2023 00:55:09
Hi Fran, I also like this image very much. It is a good lesson for me of how you do not need to try to have too much in focus to shoot a beautiful photo. Posted: 05/23/2023 16:32:42
Lovely colors and definitely draws the eye towards the tiny flower. I feel the DOF was just a touch too shallow and so added a bit of clarity to the closer petals. Thoughts? Posted: 05/27/2023 11:31:47
That also is a good improvementin my view, Tom.
Clarity surprises me. I've always used clarity to improve detail, and I find that unsharp mask gives me better overall sharpening (I know that many disagree with this). I also find that the clarity control in Affinity (I'm still on 1) is stronger and better in the RAW persona than in the photo persona.
So I've tried it on one of my flower pics and indeed the increased sharpness does increase the apparent DoF enough to be noticeable. You might think this is obvious, but it's a useful insight for me! Posted: 05/28/2023 02:36:21
Clarity surprises me. I've always used clarity to improve detail, and I find that unsharp mask gives me better overall sharpening (I know that many disagree with this). I also find that the clarity control in Affinity (I'm still on 1) is stronger and better in the RAW persona than in the photo persona.
So I've tried it on one of my flower pics and indeed the increased sharpness does increase the apparent DoF enough to be noticeable. You might think this is obvious, but it's a useful insight for me! Posted: 05/28/2023 02:36:21
Fran Nunn
Hi Tom- your comments are very helpful- the increased clarity does add to those front petals. I also tried cropping down to a square to see how that looked, but I kind of like keeping the blurred background with just the touch of detail. Posted: 05/29/2023 14:19:16
Hi Fran, love the colour combination - orange on yellow with a blurring green background. Agreed with Tom.. a bit more dof may help separate the yellow petals from the blurred green background... ? Posted: 05/27/2023 23:27:59
fran, great color palette. like the clarity adjustment. focus on red/ closet petal - I expect other petals to be out of focus and that is ok with me.. I was going to say square it off - now that you did... I can also say I like the original asymmetry thought I would still trim but take off the right side and not the top. I like the green blurred background and it needs a little bit of openness to see the background [ps sorry I'm late due to vacation and leg injury] Posted: 05/29/2023 21:20:39