How to improve on flower pictures - C&C please.

[B0bby_]

Shot this just after a morning rain ... how to improve on such pictures??
Lens - EF-S 17-55

 

[HobbiesAreFun]

1. Don't shoot wide open, even on the 17-55mm f/2.8.

2. Better framing / angling perhaps?

--
A Beginning Amateur Photographer

 

[ScottTomlinson]

It's easy to forget composition when shooting flowers. I usually do this by paying close attention to what's in the background - and what type of contrast the background will have with the flower - both color and value contrast.

You may also try shooting at atypical angles.

 

[tonyjr]

On my 7D , ISO is 800 and f5.6
--
1st - it's a hobby

XTI - gripped , Canon - efs 10-22 , efs 17-55 , efs 18-55 IS , 28-90 , 28 @ 2.8 , 50 @1.8 , 28-135 IS , 35-350L ,Quantaray lens 70-300 macro , life size converter , KSM filters for all , kenko auto tubes , EF 25 , 7D , 70-200 MK II IS , 2X III

 

[Mario Jimenez Jr]

Pay attention to colors and backgrounds to make your image pop! Composition is a huge plus.





--
http://www.marioJphotography.com

 

[4u2c]

use tripod, to avoid camera shake.

 

[rozikassim]

Pay attention on composition and avoid highlighting/bright spot... have fun)
--
rozikassim

 

[YehudaKatz]

Shot this just after a morning rain ... how to improve on such pictures??
Lens - EF-S 17-55

 

[Steve Dell]

A couple of ideas:

• Don't "bulls-eye" the subject as you've done
• Darken the background a bit
• Increase depth of field to have more of flower in focus

--
Steve Dell
Tucson AZ
http://www.stevedellphotography.com

 

[plugin]

Another thing (besides it being centered) is that there is no stem. You do not always need to show the stem, but with no leaves and nothing anchoring it visually, this one looks a bit like it is just floating out there. Just my opinion, of course - as you know photography is very subjective - what I like may not be what you do!

 

[Photog23]

If you use a shallow depth of focus, as you've done, focus on an emphasis point, something that you want the viewer to see specifically. Often times the emphasis point is the center of the flower. I've found that if the center is blurred, the whole shot looks bad. It's like taking a portrait with the eyes out of focus. With this rose, I would say there isn't a point that is really dramatically special...an opening bud might be more interesting to shoot. As people have said, try shooting from the side, or include other parts of the rose in the frame.

One of the best ways to improve composition is to look at lots of photos and figure out what you like about them.

Here's one of my favorite macro shots that I took. I blurred the background so that the flower is the emphasis, but enough of the background is deblurred that the form of the whole plant is apparent:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41766223@N00/4463195364/in/set-72157623430787925/

I have a couple of other macro shots in that set that I think are good.

And a few other macro shots:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41766223@N00/sets/72157623356355455/

and

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41766223@N00/sets/72157624428693136/detail/

Sometimes a really deep depth of focus can be interesting too:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41766223@N00/4790321321/in/set-72157624429266410/