Thank you Birma. I was very unhappy for a long time that my macro shots were mostly soft and while reading some blog on macros it dawned on me that I traded my contraption for convenience. I was always using my HVL-20 on A900 because it is convenient instead of using HVL-58 in HSS mode and increase the shutter speed. Once I switched the flashes, my keepers relative to before have gone up since camera shake became less prominent. I want to try the same shots using my A700 which allows for more DOF and see if can increase the shutter speed further. Learning never stops.

Sury

Great flower shots everyone.

Andy, never saw a double headed dafodill before. The pattern in the leaves makes it look like a star, which is pretty neat. The narcissus shot is great, because you can see the stripes in the leaves very clearly. If I may make a suggestion: the dafodill shot looks a bit out of focus and I think you can correct it by adding some definement in the leaves. All the lovely saturated yellow in the leaves makes the flower itself look like it blends into one big mass of yellow. Try upping the contrast a bit and play with the blacks/shadows and highlights in the leaves. I think it could make a lot of difference to unblend the yellow mass.

Yildiz, the magnolia is truly a majestic flower, very much so in the way you depicted it in the third image. I love the way the lighting in the first 2 images make the leaves look like velvet. It's a pity the first shot seems a bit unsharp. Dit you have a lot of trouble with motion, looks a bit like motion blur.

Sury, some nice flowers you've captured in what seems to be pretty dark conditions. I don't like using flash that much when doing close-ups or macro, as the shadows get pretty hard when shot up close, although you controlled that pretty well. I'm curious though if you used any kind of diffusion or bouncing for you shots? I avoid using flash close-up because the images always looks like I used a flash which I cannot correct with my lowly PP skills. I tried building my own diffuser, but that doesn't help me much. Any tips would be welcome.

I'll try some flower shots myself this weekend/monday. The macro bug bit me a little when I was out shooting those butterflies last weekend

Mark

Thanks Mark - I'll give it a go on the yellow of the flower - dof probably is too shallow.

Could be, but it will be less obvious when contrast is up in my experience.

Mark,
Thank you for your kind words. I used the built-in diffuser on HVL-58 flash and also tend to underexpose the shot. Couple of time I dialed down the flash exposure and other times good old facial tissue paper folded once is the (additional) diffuser.

With best regards,
Sury

Thank you for the explanation Sury. I'll give it a shot!

Meanwhile, I've been busy this morning doing some garndening in the front garden. Shot two images of flowers I found there. No idea what type the first one is. The second is a variety of Paeonia.

#1 - Unknown


#2 - Paeonia



It's pretty hard to get a nice composition of a flower. These 2 are just your standard close-ups.

Mark

They are very pleasing closeups all the same, Mark.

I think the use of DoF in the first and the filmsy light gives it a misty appeatence. The second is an ever nice flower showing valuable proof of the Fibonacci series in blossoms. : )

Thanks for sharing,

Yildiz

Nice close-ups Mark - I like the 'study in pink' super flower.

My favourite wild flower event of the year has come around again .

It was a beautiful early morning out in the wood. Sadly the images can not share the amazing smell of thousands of bluebells in the sunshine. I'm still struggling to do justice to this annual show; here are some of today's attempts.


2012 Tiddesley - Bluebells 3 by Birm, on Flickr


2012 Tiddesley - Silver Birch and Blue Bells by Birm, on Flickr

Both with Nex 5, first plus Tamron 60/2 macro, second plus CZ 16-80.

A couple more.


2012 Tiddesley - Bluebells 1 by Birm, on Flickr


2012 Tiddesley - Bluebell wood by Birm, on Flickr

Both Nex 5 and CZ 16-80. I really appreciated the tilting rear screen, live view and MF assist this year .

For whom the Blue Bells toll? For Andy, of course!

Such a field of bluebells is hard to come by, Birma. Enjoy it. I think I'll go for the closups for this time. Getting closer to the ground yields a 'bluebell's eye' view...Getting a wideangle shot may prove difficult in a composition though since they are growing in the shades of the trees and tree trunks can be obstructive.

Like them very much. Very fresh.


Yildiz

Great Bluebells Birma, looking forward to more. ;^)

I love the second one in second post, Birma. Thank you.

Sury

Here is one from today....


[url][url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigsur/7092679897/][/url]
DSC14547 by BigSury, on Flickr[/url]

Andy, great lighting in those bluebell images. Very pleasing greens and purples. It must be quite a sight, those fields of bluebells!

sury, again with the DOF I think the image would be stronger if you clone out all the leaves in the background. You then get a real 'lone rose' effect.

Mark