Summer Rain

Gallery: FloraPosted June 27, 201075 views7 comments

This post is way out of my comfort zone. Two years ago if I saw a photo with a slightly shallow DOF I would wonder way it was out of focus. Then I learned about aperture settings and DOF control and shallow DOF became a big part of my photograph, especially with flowers and macro. Now I just purchased a set of Kenko Extension tubes and found myself flirting with just how shallow I could go. I'm not sure if this photo is too extreme with just such a small area in focus but I liked the attention of the rain drop on the tip of the pistil with the smooth creamy orange BG. As always your thoughts and opinions are always appreciated.
7D, Manual mode with tripod, Canon 100mm Macro with 36mm Extention, 1/40 sec, F/2.8, 100ISO. Cropped to vertical.
Thanks for looking.

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Philip Southard on June 27, 2010 at 9:49 PM

I like it John. The comp is simple, yet highly effective IMO. My only nit is that all of the water drop doesn't look sharp to me. At least for me, it would work better if it were.

Registered on July 15, 2007, 258 Posts, 3892 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on June 27, 2010 at 10:27 PM

John,

I like the concept but agree with Phillip that I'd prefer that all of the water drop was in focus. I've been experimenting with these shots too and at least for me they're hard to do. Ram suggested that I increase my dof to make sure that the droplet appears spherical and I think that's good advice.

Pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on June 27, 2010 at 11:01 PM

A fascinating shot. So simple and SO effective! Beauty.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on June 28, 2010 at 12:19 AM

John: This works for me very nicely. I like how the drop magnifies some of the pistil detail. Great find, great vision, really good photography.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on June 28, 2010 at 5:23 AM

Hi John:
Real good abstract.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by Ramamohan Pai on June 28, 2010 at 9:25 AM

John, I have the same problem. Wide open the sharpness is not as good as when the lens is stopped down a bit. With Extension Tubes, you are increasing magnification anyway so stopping down a little bit more (to like F/4 or F/5.6) does not hurt the overall shallow depth of field rendition. What Pat mentioned is correct - shooting water drops wide open can pose challenges. We perceive the spherical nature of the water drop only when the rim is sharply in focus. Wide open if you focus on the tip of the water drop the rim will be out of focus and if you focus on the rim, the tip of the water drop will be out of focus. The only two options are to stop down OR do focus stacking. Focus stacking in the field is going to be a challenge but more manageable on less windy days but infinitely less challenging indoors.

Its also important to cram in as much of the subject material as possible within that narrow depth of field. This is something that can come with some practice but more importantly, coming parallel with the subject ensures that. Use depth of field preview if you can adjust your eye sight to the darkened viewfinder.

Select the background appropriately. A more contrasty background will also enhance the perceived sharpness sometimes as it makes your main subject stand out better.

The shot you have posted looks interesting to me with a strong minimalistic feel. Keep practising and in no time, you would have climbed the learning curve.

Good Luck to you

Registered on November 1, 2003, 550 Posts, 9037 Comments

Comment posted by John&Patty Benway on June 28, 2010 at 2:36 PM

Beautiful work John, I like it alot.
John

Registered on May 12, 2006, 626 Posts, 8700 Comments