Pollen. Newbie 1st attempt at macro.

danielteng · 9th February 2007

Random macro shot of flower at west coast park with newly aquired Canon S2. Tried to get as close as possible, but still wanted to go nearer. Should I get those add-on macro lenses?
C & C please....

Cheers!

Michael · 9th February 2007

if you post something bigger than a thumbnail then we might be able to tell you something about the pic....

danielteng · 9th February 2007

It was a clickable thumbnail but have changed to friendlier pic.
Pai seh... 1st time posting pic.

Michael · 9th February 2007

Daniel, i think your WB is off, flower should be white, no?
then the pollens are to isolated as to act together, then there is to much going on in the background. the first thing you see are actually the petals of the flower (white against green, very prominent). one got to search for the pollens....

megaweb · 9th February 2007

Agree with Michael, your WB is off. As for background, try to avoid the bright spot as it is distracting ..

espion · 9th February 2007

Before you worry about the technical aspects the most important matter is the composition.

This lily - its a spider lily - is notoriously difficult to capture as a macro given such long stamens.

But what you have done suggests a possible interesting perspective, where all the pollen are arranged in a circle, almost like they are in a dance. And the DOF is adequate, meaning the front three are in good focus and the back three are off, and thus emphasising the 3D aspect of the "dance circle".

The only down side is indeed the busy background. This idea can be a superb composition against a black background or anything that dont compete against the dance of the pollen.

But as to a newbie attempt at macro I think it is good work, for at least I see - if what I see is reliable - that you may have compositional thoughts and ideas, even novel and interesting ones, as you shot the flower.

Also try to borrow some equipment before you buy them, or buy them second hand - which you in turn can resell - to see what new compositional possibilites are made possible by hardware.

As to the WB, it is a simple correction, a technical skill easily acquired (PM me if you like to know how).

More importantly put more effort on the harder-to-come-by, but sine qua non skills, namely your compositional ideas and aesthetic sensibilities, for which some just cannot get it.

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danielteng · 10th February 2007

Thanks to all comments, they've been constructive and highly encouraging, especially espion's. Thanks for providing the name of the flower and advice on the HW, and you're right, it was notoriously hard to get a shot i was remotely happy with. This was one of out about 20+ failed attempts. I have to say that I am amazed what the trained camera eye can see...

Roger about the white balance and noisy background. Think will touch it up with ps or something. Thanks to all once again.

9th February 2007	#1
danielteng Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 84	Pollen. Newbie 1st attempt at macro. Random macro shot of flower at west coast park with newly aquired Canon S2. Tried to get as close as possible, but still wanted to go nearer. Should I get those add-on macro lenses? C & C please.... Cheers! Last edited by danielteng; 9th February 2007 at 01:35 PM.

9th February 2007	#2
Michael Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Woodlands Posts: 706	Re: Pollen. Newbie 1st attempt at macro. if you post something bigger than a thumbnail then we might be able to tell you something about the pic....

9th February 2007	#3
danielteng Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 84	Re: Pollen. Newbie 1st attempt at macro. It was a clickable thumbnail but have changed to friendlier pic. Pai seh... 1st time posting pic.

9th February 2007	#4
Michael Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Woodlands Posts: 706	Re: Pollen. Newbie 1st attempt at macro. Daniel, i think your WB is off, flower should be white, no? then the pollens are to isolated as to act together, then there is to much going on in the background. the first thing you see are actually the petals of the flower (white against green, very prominent). one got to search for the pollens....

9th February 2007	#5
megaweb Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: East Posts: 8,106	Re: Pollen. Newbie 1st attempt at macro. Agree with Michael, your WB is off. As for background, try to avoid the bright spot as it is distracting .. __________________ See my Photo Gallery at the Clubsnap \| Pbase

9th February 2007	#6
espion Deregistered Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,533	Re: Pollen. Newbie 1st attempt at macro. Before you worry about the technical aspects the most important matter is the composition. This lily - its a spider lily - is notoriously difficult to capture as a macro given such long stamens. But what you have done suggests a possible interesting perspective, where all the pollen are arranged in a circle, almost like they are in a dance. And the DOF is adequate, meaning the front three are in good focus and the back three are off, and thus emphasising the 3D aspect of the "dance circle". The only down side is indeed the busy background. This idea can be a superb composition against a black background or anything that dont compete against the dance of the pollen. But as to a newbie attempt at macro I think it is good work, for at least I see - if what I see is reliable - that you may have compositional thoughts and ideas, even novel and interesting ones, as you shot the flower. Also try to borrow some equipment before you buy them, or buy them second hand - which you in turn can resell - to see what new compositional possibilites are made possible by hardware. As to the WB, it is a simple correction, a technical skill easily acquired (PM me if you like to know how). More importantly put more effort on the harder-to-come-by, but sine qua non skills, namely your compositional ideas and aesthetic sensibilities, for which some just cannot get it. _____________________________________________ My Online Gallery My Top 100 pictures according to flickr. Last edited by espion; 9th February 2007 at 03:40 PM.

10th February 2007	#7
danielteng Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 84	Re: Pollen. Newbie 1st attempt at macro. Thanks to all comments, they've been constructive and highly encouraging, especially espion's. Thanks for providing the name of the flower and advice on the HW, and you're right, it was notoriously hard to get a shot i was remotely happy with. This was one of out about 20+ failed attempts. I have to say that I am amazed what the trained camera eye can see... Roger about the white balance and noisy background. Think will touch it up with ps or something. Thanks to all once again.