Sony A99M2 + Minolta MD100F4 Bellows

[sury]

As lock down is making us take a close look at ourselves, I decided to take a close look at the life around me.

Mounted the MD100F4 Bellows via a with glass MD/MA adapter on a tripod with focus peaking activated.
Also, experimented with Sony HVL48 mounted on the camera and Adorama FRP2 as optically triggered slave.
To JT's point, I did put in some thought on how I wanted the shot. Is that what I should be wanting is a question
I best leave it unanswered at this moment.

[aster]

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I think your composition skills are on the improvement side of the scales lately, Sury. I like the sharpness of the subjects and like the first the most.
But I'll leave it to JT for the real criticism…

Thanks for sharing,
Yildiz

[sury]

Thank you Yildiz. I am waiting with the bated breath. Interim...

[jbtaylor]

Am I getting a reputation?
" Is that what I should be wanting"
Always a great question to ask. Some answer it before pressing the shutter. Some after. It's unfair for me to give composition advice while I am sitting here watching one of Kurosawa's masterpieces "Rashomon". I will go easy.
Clearly set 2 is superior. Maybe you were getting used to the gear in set 1. Let's call them test shots.
#1- Looks fine by me. Light is a bit harsh. Do you have a diffuser?
#2- Is that dirt in the lens showing up in the image. I saw that once when shooting macro at f16 or higher (if memory serves). Looks like you are favoring the left to avoid other leaves on the flower but by doing so you cut off the leaf at the bottom left of the bud. Maybe do some trimming during setup.
#3-Same lighting situation as #2. The green leaf being cut off at the bottom is noticeable.

#4- Clearly superior in all aspects from it's sister image in set 1. The close up works as it gets rid of the background clutter.
#5- A beautiful image. No distractions, just one thing to appreciate. It's a portrait. The only suggestion would be to find a way to soften the light and maybe move the subjects up and to towards the center just a smidge (really, just a little bit).
#6- You barely fit this one in the frame and it shows. I clicked on the image and it delivered me to your flickr page. I saw your other experiments with this composition and understand why you landed on the one you posted here. It's tough with multiple flowers and backgrounds but I can see you getting closer to showing what's in front of the camera instead of showing what equipment you used.

It never hurts to view the masters when getting a feel for the possibilities of composition. I prefer movies to still work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak6rI-j07QU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMdb70ShnkI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HazR58qlcyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBasQG_6p40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uC7-RRdr4U
Keep going.
JT

[aster]

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Neat observation, JBTaylor.
And, the links showcase some good scenes. Was very helpful for me personally.

Thanks for sharing,
Yildiz

[sury]

JT,
Thank you for your detailed feedback. More importantly, thank you for taking time to provide the feedback.
Yes, there is some dust on the sensor. I will check out the youtube links at the earliest. The challenge to me
has been trying to get the focus and magnification and I tried to not to do focus stacking (perhaps not a right
decision) when I tried to fill the frame. The harsh lighting is all on me.

I was experimenting with flash power, distance and positioning to get better lighting in these examples. The
objective(s) for the roses was to preserve petal details and sharp edges and have soft lighting.

[jbtaylor]

Excellent work. No reflections on the petals is a good thing.
My taste would be to move the flower slightly left in #1. The bud is leaning that way. Might pay to give it some room to lean.
#2 is superb. The tiny leaf balances the center of the bud perfectly.
I might move the subject slightly to the right on #3. Love the translucent nature at the top of the petal. What are your thoughts on the white lines at the edges?
JT

[sury]

JT,
The white lines are there on the flowers or the ridges on the petals are magnified due to Bellows and flash.
Since my wife bought another bunch yesterday, let me try on them. That bunch is now compost.

Sury

[jbtaylor]

Yes, these things are fragile.
Looking forward to the next set.