Macro and chat (edited)

Challenge #3 in the Photo chat series. Hosted by AndrePooh, barb_s.

Challenge has finished

****MAKE SURE TO READ THE CHALLENGE COMMENTS BELOW BEFORE POSTING**** **THE CHALLENGE MAY BE CLOSED WHILE THERE IS STILL ROOM TO POST*** Show us your best macro photo of any subject with emphasis on artistic composition. (ONE only - not two). However, entry in this challenge also obliges to give comments about all other entries in the series. Eventually you may enter an improved version of the first photo. See additional rules. You are encouraged to provide early comments during the submission stage to allow contestants to create an improved photo to submit before voting begins

Show full rules

Announced:

Sunday, 18th December, 2011 (GMT)

Submissions:

Sunday, 25th December, 2011 – Saturday, 31st December, 2011 (GMT)

Voting:

Sunday, 1st January, 2012 – Saturday, 7th January, 2012 (GMT)

Processing rules:

Post processing is as cosmetics, use a little and it enhances the end result artistically. Use too much and the result is blatantly artificial, which is frawned upon in this challenge. So HDR and standard basic post processing is okay, as long as it is not overwhelmingly noticable.
No composites, we want honest pictures

Capture date rules:

No restrictions.

Additional rules:

ENTER ONLY ONE PICTURE FIRST!
Each entrant must, on their honor first, write a helpful Comment/Critique for the other 19 entries no later than the ending of the voting phase. It should be describing what they like and/or dislike about the photo, and what they may have done differently,
After receiving comments it is allowed to enter a second improved version of your first picture.
Include "second version" in the title.
DO NOT WITHDRAW THE FIRST PHOTO THOUGH. we should be able to compare them.
To allow proper evalutation and balance loading times, the longest side of the submitted picture should be between 1000 and 1600 pixels
The number of participants is limited to 20. This cannot be reflected in the total entry limit. It will be announced in the comments when the challenge is full. Expect DQ if you enter after that.
Comply with the standard DPR decency rules.
photos must not have been entered in previous challenges.
Failure to comply with these rules may result in DQ.

Maximum number of entries per user:

Maximum number of entries in challenge:

submission
phase has

ended

22 entries

voting
phase has

ended

391 votes

Slideshow 2 / 23 Full size Next Challenge Previous

Rose

by EXX

2^nd place

3.448

low

high

Macro of the center of a rose

Camera:	Sony SLT-A55
Lens:	Minolta 70-210 F/4
Submitted:	Monday, 26th December, 2011 21:59 (GMT)
Taken:	Monday, 19th December, 2011
Focal length:	210 mm
Shutter speed:	20 sec
Aperture:	F32
ISO:	100
Notes:
Views:	189
Galleries:	View this photo in EXX's gallery

Provide complaint details

Your complaint (along with the complaints of others regarding this entry) will be reviewed by the challenge owner. Depending upon the nature and applicability of the complaint, the entry may be disqualified. In extreme circumstances the user who submitted the entry may receive a ban from the challenge or series in question.

Reason:

	Violates rules of the challenge
	Spam / Commercial
	Trolling / Abusive
	Sexual content / Not family friendly
	Other

Comments:

Saving ...

Complain

Entry comments

Total comments: 16

nice 1. Little more light and color and it could have been a hit.

0 upvotes

Good work, may be a little too theatraal.

0 upvotes

Well executed exposure but dark corners(lower left and upper right) not appealing

0 upvotes

Despite it is not an original idea I liked it - well done! My eyes can find details and sharpness in an interesting composition.

0 upvotes

This challenge was really nice, you learn a lot more compared to the "normal" challenges from the giving and receiving of all the comments. I will try to enter more of these "chat" challenges.

0 upvotes

I agree wholeheardedly with you EXX! I'm on holiday at the moment and find myself dashing outside in the different light / times of day to "mess" around and try some of the things everyone else has shown!

0 upvotes

First of all, thanks everybody for their great comments. Reading the comments , I do not think I will post a second version. Someone suggested that there was too much black (cannot find the comment anymore though). I tried this and lessened the black, but IMHO it degrades the picture, the red becomes to bright somehow.

Creating this picture was not as straightforward as one may think. I used a Minolta 70-210 F4 lens (the good old beercan) for this. It has a magnification of 0.25x. I added a Konica-Minolta CL49-200 close-up lens (+5 diopter), resulting in a total magnification of 1.3x. However, it reduced the DOF at F4 to next to nothing, making getting proper focus very tricky. When I closed the arpeture to get some decent DOF, the picture in the EVF/LCD got very grainy, because of the lack of light. I had to do a lot of try and error. The best shot was then cropped to get the right composition.

I really like taking macros, so it is about time I get a real macro lens!

Comment edited 2 minutes after posting

0 upvotes

Excellent shot,great colour amd composition.Well done.

0 upvotes

An unbeatable shot in my view - color, compo., very clever capture of a very difficult color ....

0 upvotes

Stunning! I love the colour contrast and perfection of the flower ...... as well as the off-centre centre ......

0 upvotes

Velvety feeling.

0 upvotes

A very beautiful macro. Very good shot

0 upvotes

Very nice shapes and contrast

0 upvotes

I find photographing red roses to be a very difficult subject, as adding saturation often gives a very harsh appearance, and that is definitely NOT what red roses are. I like the linear curves in this rose, but I personally would prefer less blackness in the subject.

0 upvotes

My favorite so far - incredible depth of shades for such a monochrome image. Well composed.

0 upvotes

very nice shot, with great tonality. Coudn't have done it better.

0 upvotes

Total comments: 16

Shortcut keys:

p previous

n next

c challenge

f full size

r retract vote

1-0 vote

Editorial content

Product database

Community

Finishing today
Texas	37/50 entries
1 day left
Strength in Weakness	50/100 entries
Kid's Birthday Parties	29/50 entries
Safe and Sound	47/50 entries
-The Roadside Fruit Seller- (Full Colours Only with Border and Title)	30/50 entries
2 days left
Defense	76/ entries
3 days left
Magazine editorial: What we can't see	61/100 entries
4 days left
- Jungle Trekking - (Full Colours Only + Border, Title, Date)	7/45 entries
Australia 2 : Its People (Environmental Portraits only)	9/35 entries
Turtles	52/100 entries
5 days left
Parachutes	20/ entries
JELLY BEANS!	2/200 entries
Economic Inclusion and Illusion	8/100 entries
Buddha	16/100 entries
6 days left
Weird, Bizarre Fungi in Nature	14/100 entries
Ancient Ruins	15/100 entries
Microscopic (color only)	2/100 entries
Full challenges
Lucky Shot	100/100 entries
Beaches	70/70 entries
My best picture this week	50/50 entries

Finishing today
Multiple Modes of Transport	667 votes, 48 entries
At the zoo	713 votes, 50 entries
Bubbly !	798 votes, 50 entries
1 day left
-All Dressed Up~Couples in a Photo Shoot- (Full Colours Only with Border)	166 votes, 16 entries
Power of Play	305 votes, 41 entries
Music people	1248 votes, 100 entries
New Life - Spring Flowers	565 votes, 50 entries
2 days left
Men who eat quiches	106 votes, 22 entries
My Camera Bag! (Capture Date Rule)	357 votes, 22 entries
3 days left
Catalog filler: Summer picnic	20 votes, 3 entries
Wndy	850 votes, 70 entries
4 days left
- National Parks I- (Full Colours Only + Border, Title, Date)	542 votes, 72 entries
Australia 1 : Nature	883 votes, 32 entries
Rainbow in the Sky	536 votes, 64 entries
Colorful: Red and Yellow	707 votes, 75 entries
5 days left
View from the top - Forests	91 votes, 18 entries
Hugs, hugs and HUGS	178 votes, 66 entries
National Food	211 votes, 54 entries
Art made from old electronics	71 votes, 8 entries
Wooden Statues of deities	68 votes, 34 entries
Chasing	392 votes, 50 entries
6 days left
Beetles	405 votes, 67 entries
Wind Turbines	169 votes, 77 entries
Everyday Life: MACRO	207 votes, 100 entries