Natures Beauties close ups
 

I went for a walk with my favorite lens around a local nature reserve the other day. These are a few of the better ones I got and im just wondering if there is anything I could do to improve :thumbs:

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/90246009@N03/8349216200/][img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8220/8349216200_9170d2f9c9.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/90246009@N03/8349216200/]1[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/90246009@N03/]m from s****horpe[/url], on Flickr

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/90246009@N03/8349216142/][img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8224/8349216142_50060e8b9d.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/90246009@N03/8349216142/]2[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/90246009@N03/]m from s****horpe[/url], on Flickr

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/90246009@N03/8349215916/][img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8377/8349215916_b61ecde779.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/90246009@N03/8349215916/]3[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/90246009@N03/]m from s****horpe[/url], on Flickr

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/90246009@N03/8349216046/][img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8331/8349216046_217a2e70c0.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/90246009@N03/8349216046/]4[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/90246009@N03/]m from s****horpe[/url], on Flickr

[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/90246009@N03/8348157005/][img]http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8368/8348157005_b1164696b2.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/90246009@N03/8348157005/]5[/url] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/90246009@N03/]m from s****horpe[/url], on Flickr

As always any critique is always welcome

Mark

I think that you've caught the detail quite well and the composition works. But for me they look a tad underexposed.

Thank you Jediboy, I think I need to sort my monitor out because I keep doing this and they always look ok when I PP them. Maybe just a calibration issue.

Mark

Very nice sharp detail and well composed set of images Mark .

Two small points,

Watch out for your backgrounds , I know it's a lot easier said than done but the first two images I think would benefit from having the background stems removed . ( the second one isn't too bad but that one large stem at the back is a bit distracting )

The other point is on image's 1, 2 , and 4 , all look like they have a reddish colour cast unless that's deliberate .

Mark

[QUOTE=markgozz;86132]Very nice sharp detail and well composed set of images Mark .

Two small points,

Watch out for your backgrounds , I know it's a lot easier said than done but the first two images I think would benefit from having the background stems removed . ( the second one isn't too bad but that one large stem at the back is a bit distracting )

The other point is on image's 1, 2 , and 4 , all look like they have a reddish colour cast unless that's deliberate .

Mark[/QUOTE]

Thank you Mark, I did try to remove the large one in the second shot but it looked messy as for the reddish colour cast I have no idea why but my lens seems to do that a lot specially on close up shots.

Mark

Colour cast is one of the easier corrections to make in PP , if you shoot in RAW then it's just a matter of adjusting the white balance slider and if you shoot in JPEG then I usually use the grey point eye dropper in the levels adjustment and just click around on a neutral greyish part of the image until I get a result that I like .

Mark

I'm not sure if you want to know what these are, but the first two images are the dried flower head of teasel (probably wild teasel [I]Dipsacus fullonum[/I]), the third image is the cone of the alder (I think either the common alder [I]Alnus glutinosa[/I] or Italian alder [I]Alnus cordata[/I], the Italian alder has a smoother bark and pointed ends to the leaves), the forth image is the male flower/catkin, again of the alder. I'm not great on grasses, and I can't tell how tall it is or where it's growing, so I can only guess that the fifth image might be the flower/seed heads of the common reed [I]Phragmites australis[/I].

I hope this helps.

Nick

[QUOTE=nick_gray;86205]I'm not sure if you want to know what these are, but the first two images are the dried flower head of teasel (probably wild teasel [I]Dipsacus fullonum[/I]), the third image is the cone of the alder (I think either the common alder [I]Alnus glutinosa[/I] or Italian alder [I]Alnus cordata[/I], the Italian alder has a smoother bark and pointed ends to the leaves), the forth image is the male flower/catkin, again of the alder. I'm not great on grasses, and I can't tell how tall it is or where it's growing, so I can only guess that the fifth image might be the flower/seed heads of the common reed [I]Phragmites australis[/I].

I hope this helps.

Nick[/QUOTE]

Impressive knowledge Nick. I don't suppose you know what the red berries are I entered in the comp this week?? To me they are just red berries, but I would be interested to know what they are?
Cheers

Chris

[QUOTE=Jediboy;86206]Impressive knowledge Nick. I don't suppose you know what the red berries are I entered in the comp this week?? To me they are just red berries, but I would be interested to know what they are?
Cheers

Chris[/QUOTE]

I'm pretty sure you've got firethorn/pyracantha [I]Pyracantha angustifolia[/I], although the leaves in your photos are thinner and more pointed than in my reference books, so it might be a different species or cultivar. Having said that some cotoneasters also look a bit like pyracantha.

Regards

Nick

Thank you Nick, I had no idea what they were I just liked the look of them and had to try shoot them :)

Mark