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Thread: Fag-end Flowers

  1. #1

    Join Date
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    Mike

    Fag-end Flowers

    Unable to go very far lately, I took the camera out into the garden to see if there was anything I could make a picture out of. Its been very grey and getting cold recently so I wasn't optimistic.

    We're fortunate in having a very large garden, with remote corners that don't get the attention they should.
    Pretty well all the flowers have finished, so I was surprised to find a sheltered spot where some roses were still blooming away.
    Even more surprising, the sun came out !

    Before it disappeared again and it started to rain I managed to get a number of quite different shots, here are three of them.

    Comments very welcome.



    Fag-end Flowers


    Fag-end Flowers


    Fag-end Flowers

  2. #2
    New Member
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    George

    Re: Fag-end Flowers

    No 3 is my favourite

  3. #3
    PRSearls's Avatar
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    Paul

    Re: Fag-end Flowers

    I also like number three the best. The soft image seems to go well with the delicate pink color. If you clip off one of those rose buds, it may open for you inside and provide you with a fine-looking subject for closeup shots. My "Pink Ballerina" and "Pink Perfection" (same flower) was one of these. Our recent wet and cold weather has ended the season for my wife's roses, at least as a photographic subject.

    - Paul -
    Last edited by PRSearls; 26th November 2011 at 01:27 AM. Reason: grammar correction

  4. #4

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    Re: Fag-end Flowers

    Thank you George and Paul for your comments (I wonder if we've got a Ringo and John amongst the members ?)

    I am pleased with the soft focus effect, first time I've tried it.

    _Mike

    Thanks for the thought about the rosebud Paul, I'm going to give it a try

  5. #5
    Moderator Dave Humphries's Avatar
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    Re: Fag-end Flowers

    Hi Mike,

    Good composition on all three.

    Concentrating on the first, this was a well spotted scene that's easily missed, but I see two problems; it was over exposed (the red channel has blown) losing detail and saturation in the bloom and the DoF is insufficient (shot at f/1.4 I think.

    If you're not in the habit, I'd suggest checking the RGB histogram (after a shot) when shooting bold coloured subjects like flowers (because the blinkies may not activate for a single blown channel), then immediately re-shoot with as much -EC (if semi-auto) as may be needed ('rinse and repeat' if necessary), I go down in 1/2 stop increments until I get it right.

    With a stop less exposure (at least) and raising iso to 800, f/4 would have been possible at same shutter speed, or ideally, with time, wind (and health?) permitting, a tripod for a slower shutter speed and say f/8 would have been better still.

    Did I say I love the colour and angle of the flares? (well I do)

    Hope that helps,

  6. #6

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    Re: Fag-end Flowers

    That is a very interesting shot of what could be a Sickle-bearing Bush Cricket (Phaneroptera falcata).

    I don't know about their distribution in France but they are very rare in the UK and only found on a couple of small South Coast sites.

  7. #7

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    Re: Fag-end Flowers

    Hi Dave,

    Thank you for your comments, all good, valid points which I have noted.

    The f1.4 showing on the Exif data is wrong I'm afraid. I was using a manual focus Tokina lens which is not coupled electronically to the camera therefore doesn't transmit the correct data to the chip. I think the camera would probably been set on f2.8 or f4.

    You're right of course, it was very over exposed, and I didn't check the histogram. In my usual 'butterfly' fashion, after taking the shot I was immediately distracted by spotting a nearby rabbit just asking to have his picture taken.
    I don't have a very professional Modus Operandi !

    Many thanks again for the helpful suggestions.

  8. #8

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    Re: Fag-end Flowers

    Hi Geoff,

    Thanks for naming the cricket, I don't have enough knowledge of the subject to be able to identify the insect life around here. I have seen little chaps like this one before so I think they must be fairly common here in SW France.

    We do have some unusual and quite exotic insects, at least compared to what I used to see in the UK. Hope in the future to seek out and photograph some of them.

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