Jan0048 wrote: How to focus on flowers?
Stefan-Olsson wrote: it can be partially saved, made better in post.
Nikon Shooter wrote:
Stefan-Olsson wrote: it can be partially saved, made better in post.
I am not as optimist as you seem to be, Stefan, what
is OoF in shallow DoF is in no way salvageable.
garyrhook wrote: It depends upon what you want to do. Your first goal is to decide what you want your viewer to look at. In your sample image it's no clear what your subject is, aside from the whole flower.
Then you want to think about your plane of focus: is all of your subject in focus? If not, move either yourself or the subject.
Go look at what other macro photographers do, specifically their compositions. IG can be a great source of examples for this.
Agree with the above suggestion of f/11 to f/16.
Study up on the geometry of photography: camera to subject distance, camera to background distance, depth of field.
Troponin wrote: Flowers have always been a challenge for me because I just don’t see the composition as well as I do with insects and many others. That being said, a”proper”photo isn’t terribly difficult if you keep some things in mind.
The above is great advice. First figure out what it takes to get the entire flower in focus, which can be as high as F/22, depending on your set up and how small your subject is! That being said, f/8 Is typically what is considered the minimum in macro because that’s usually what it takes to get the entire subject in focus on most macro lenses. Each lens has a threshold that can effect image quality at really high f stops though, so f16 might look “soft” as well as being a lighting challenge. I don’t like shooting at those apertures unless absolutely needed.
All that said, as you get better, you can start experimenting with shallow DoF to create more unique photos, but you must first decide “Where do I want my viewer’s eyes to go?”. Do you like the entire flower, or is there a part of the flower in particular that’s interesting? What about the photo makes your eyes rest or wander? Example would be focusing in on and interesting stamen or pistol, perhaps the texture of a petal vs just focusing in on the entire flower
Every time I look at a flower, I Have to go over a check list...yes, I’m that bad at it...
1. Lighting
2. Where/how do I want focus
3. Composition/background Use the rule of thirds and try to create a non-distracting background
4. Adjust settings (Start with f/11 if completely unsure, double focal length for shutter speed, possiblly higher if you don’t have IS)
Remember that the closer you get, DoF becomes VERY shallow. With macro, the depth can get as shallow as 1mm. Days that are low light, you will most likely need some kind of lighting as well, since a lot of shots are at higher apertures.
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