Macro Bokeh Challenge... ALMOST LAST! Whew!...

Is it because of my poor understanding of Bokeh, poor subject or terrible execution? Go ahead, be honest, it can only get a few percentile worse....

I looked at the other shots and while many were beautiful, many images appeared static with a "sameness" to me. Although, I saw a lot of insects and bees in the challenge as well.



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http://gallery.mac.com/jvirgona

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I'm prepared to be completely shot down in flames for my thoughts on the photo and please please don't be offended as I'm only a beginner, so am far from qualified to comment but thought I'd give it a go as part of my own learning curve if that's ok ?

For me, the DOF is'nt quite enough as there is little distinction between the main flower and those behind, which also, [ to me anyway ], results in not enough colour depth definition between them.

Also the insect is very soft to the point of needing to look very closely to see it properly.

It also put me off a little that the many natural imperfections on the flower were somewhat distracting.

I would like to stress that my thoughts on it are from comparing photo's in the challenge in order to decide between them for voting so would probably not have been so nitpicky if it were a standalone shot if you see what I mean.

All that said, at my own level I would have been pleased to have taken the shot, I have only managed a few to that standard myself so far )

I don't recall seeing that photo when I was judging the entries the other day. So, it didn't really stand out from the pack. Overall, the photo is nice but lacks punch. I don't mind the flawed flower, but the out of focus bee is distracting. The subject flower is not standing out THAT much from the background and the background itself is not exactly the "silky smooth" as described in the challenge rules.

There were some really awesome shots in that challenge though!

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http://jezsik.blogspot.com/

Just learning about getting good bokeh in macro photos myself, I know just how hard it is. Even the flower moving a tiny bit throws things off so I imagine it'd take a lot of shots to get both a flower and a flying bee in focus.

I think the flower looks ok but the bee seems like more of a mistake. I guess because it's right next to the area in focus, but the bee it's self is a bit of a blur.

Thanks for the comments guys. The mains subject was the flower and not the flying bee so I didn't think focus of the bee important. In fact I have many shots of the bee frozen on or near the flower. I thought it interesting seeing the bee launch into the patch away from that first flower.

I apprciate the comments and feedback. I guess the idea of the wandering bee wasn't really a good one and the photo not very well executed.
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http://gallery.mac.com/jvirgona

But...you titled your image "Spring Bee?" That title automatically draws the viewer to the bee...which, as already mentioned in previous posts is way out of focus. As the "perceived" main subject, the lack of detail leads the viewer to be frustrated that it's so soft and probably will not invite the viewer to delve deeper into the image.

Aside from that the image is kind of dark and lacks the punch to make it stand out. If the flower is indeed supposed to be the main subject, it is lost within the background in the overall underexposure of the image.

You can brighten the main flower, keep the background at the current levels and the image would be improved. Try adding a bit of contrast as well.

fenomeno said:

Thanks for the comments guys. The mains subject was the flower and
not the flying bee so I didn't think focus of the bee important. In
fact I have many shots of the bee frozen on or near the flower. I
thought it interesting seeing the bee launch into the patch away from
that first flower.

I apprciate the comments and feedback. I guess the idea of the
wandering bee wasn't really a good one and the photo not very well
executed.
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http://gallery.mac.com/jvirgona

Click to expand...

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They tell me I have to type something sensible before I can post. I sure hope this works.

My Photoblog-- http://www.flickr.com/photos/8301398@N02/

This is interesting; I am on a pc at the moment and you are correct, the image looks dull and dark. On my iMac, the image has much more vibrancy and is brighter. In fact, it looks quite different. Thanks for the heads up, something I should look into is the gamma setting of my iMac.

Your suggestion about dodging the backround of the image behind the main flower is a good one.

Thanks for the feedback.

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http://gallery.mac.com/jvirgona

Hello,

I definitely agree with most of the comment already. I did not enter this challenge because I do not have yet the caliber to level even with the last entry

First thing that really bothered me was the imperfection of the flower, but this is just me really I understand other was Ok with it. I think I get your point about Spring bee, did you mean it Sprung out of the flower that is why you let it get blurred.

Also the photo did lack the punch, but you should feel lucky still as I have managed to be last in a challenge and it did not feel very good, especially when you have high hopes after doing a lot of PP.

I'm glad you are taking this as a learning step.

Moving forward, I really like your "funny sign", you got me laughing there!

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Norberto

Your feedback is welcomed and appreciated. To answer your question, yes, the bee was supposed to be "springing off" into the start of Spring represented by the Daisy patch. It was 1 of 2, the other called Spring Takeoff.

Thanks for the comments regarding my "sign" picture. I'm having fun with this hobby and I go hot and cold behind the shutter. Mostly cold as you can see by my Bokeh entry. It just inspires me to do better and be more criical about every shot. Photography is a learning process like almost everythig else and for me, laying it on the line and submittng a challenge entry really makes one consider their work critically.
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http://gallery.mac.com/jvirgona

Could somebody explain me difference between bokeh and shallow depth of field using shots from challenge?
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh

Many shots have shallow depth of field but not bokeh

Bokeh refers to the unfocusednish of the background. We had been looking for a word like that for a long, long time. If a picture is sharp from foreground to background we say it has great depth of field, but what do you say when the background is nearly obliterated? Terrible depth of field? Great circle of confusion? (Hardly anyone knew what that was.) Nothing really worked. The Japanese term fit the bill. So, if an image has a smooth circle of confusion, it has good bokeh. I like to think of it as having creamy qualities. Steven Colbert might coin the term "creamishness."

As for the challenge, well, the top ten are great. If I jump to page five I'd pick out 317, 327, 335, 382 and 393 as not having a silky smooth background. Numbers 15 and 18 have discernable background objects, but they're so soft as to be render the subject in a virtual third dimension.

Man, there were some goooood images in that challenge.

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http://jezsik.blogspot.com/

For me, bokeh means blurred background. The background in your image is barely blurred and VERY distracting. Just my opinion.
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http://duanevigue.redbubble.com/

I enter these challenges hoping to learn a thing or two, and after they finish I like to have a good look at the top 20 to see if I can understand why they did well. Many of my shots I've entered are mediocre, so I'm no expert. FWIW, I think there is a lot wrong with your photo. The main flower subject is not quite in focus and carries little detail to draw the viewer in to see more, and it is underexposed. The bee is very inconsequential, like a blurry blob, with its back to us - if only we had a frontal view. There is also that green stem, which has turned into a distracting stripe across the right hand side. Never mind, don't be deterred! I hope you will enter and do well in future challenges.
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Richard

I am not deterred. I am actually laughing at your candor. I like the open comments...nice...blurry subjects, distracting lines, blob....still laughing...blob...bl...

You are so right. This picture sucks and when I see it like you describe it....it sucks worse.

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http://gallery.mac.com/jvirgona

Taking a bokeh shots seems simple but I am finding it takes a lot of practice. I have just started taking bokeh shots with a macro lens. My entry came 79th, but I had taken over 200 shots of tulips from which I picked my entry:
http://www.dpreview.com/challenges/Entry.aspx?ID=129283&View=My&Rows=4

To shoot a bokeh you need to use a wide aperture. What I found though is it's probably not a good idea to shoot totally wide open since this renders most of the main object a bit soft. So instead of shooting at f/2.8 I took the shot at f/3.5 which kept the flower in focus but still renders the background soft and blurry.

Don't be discouraged, just keep on shootin'.

They all have bokeh but some just don't have great bokeh. To have great bokeh the areas that fall outside the field of focus must be rendered such that elements are "creamy" and blend into adjacent elements or at least don't have hard edges to them.

Wies said:

Could somebody explain me difference between bokeh and shallow depth of field using shots from challenge?
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bokeh

Many shots have shallow depth of field but not bokeh

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Click to expand...

I hear ya...the bee launched off the flower because there was a breeze strong enough to disturb the pollination process. I snapped when it took off and the flower was moving.

You should definitely keep trying. these challenges are about more than the appointed topic. They are about trying something new or perfecting a particular skill.

You do need to remember that the voting is not only on the named topic, but that people take the appeal of the photo, the colors, the subject, etc. into consideration. You should also chekc to see what your entry looks like as a thumbnail. Occasionaly the top photos seem to have little to do with the technical details of the challenge. (That is to say that I don't understand some of the posters perspectives!)

I won the 'buds and thorns' challenge with an image that is very similar to my bokeh challenge entry. The bokeh entry finished 90th. Exact same background. So remember that great bokeh doesn't compensate for less than tack sharp focus, composition, interest and exposure.

I enter the challenges to help me learn my new camera and to try new subjects and compositions. Make the challenge all about you and your learning and you'll be a winner in your own way each time.

I am a beginner and I've learned a lot form participating on this website.

Stay with it,
chris