frosty flower

[alexharrison101]

frosty flower 1 by alexharrison101, on Flickr

[markgozz]

Hi Alex

Love the beads of ice but there are a couple of things that are stopping me from loving the whole shot , the first is the distracting background and the second is the slightly soft focus . Not sure if the focus is down to the lens or movement , what kit and settings are you using .

Mark

[alexharrison101]

lens is just my 18-55 IS kit lens, with raynox DCR250 macro attachment. focus is probably my camera shake to be honest - this is handheld and it was pretty cold so i fear my hands were shaking(!).

settings:
mode - Av
f13
1/80
ISO 1250 (auto)
auto white balance

i can't have it wide open with the raynox, or i'm left with a tiny DOF and can't get anything in focus...! background is distracting, i agree, but i'm not sure what i can do with that after the fact - but i'll bear it in mind for the future

[markgozz]

One thing that you could try is a tip I picked up from posting my macros on here and that is to use your pop up flash , it helps in a couple of ways , first you can use a much narrower aperture ( f/29 ) to increase the DOF and secondly it tends to under expose the background to give you a less distracting shot . You will probably be limited to 1/60 sec but if you shoot in dull light the camera will only record what it see's while the flash is on ( just a few 1/1000's ) that way camera shake is less of a problem .
It took me quite a few attempts to get the balance of f/stop , ISO and flash compensation just right but the results are starting to look really good , the flash comp is needed because my pop up can be rather harsh so close up .

If you're anything like me it doesn't matter how many time people tell you to watch your backgrounds when I get down to the shot there are so many other things I'm trying to remember that the background tends to get forgotten , but it is amazing how much of a difference a good background can make to your shots .

Mark

[wave01]

i like it but one thing i would say is use a tripod and remote release or a 2 second delay you will see a big difference

[alexharrison101]

thanks for feedback guys - next time i'll get my tripod and release out...i was just in a bit of a rush to get the shots before everything melted(!). and i'll try the flash thing too, mark - it never occured to me to use my flash (i forget the effect it can have on aperture etc and only think to use it when it's dark!).

[wavemachine]

Really nice idea and good shot, I agree with Mark on this it is a tad soft as wave suggested a tripod and cable release/timer would have made it a much sharper shot. I know a tripod is hasle but when you are cold and battling with slow shutter speeds it really is worth the effort.

When I do close up work I will always try to shoot with and without flash, also a selection of coloured card is handy which can be held or placed behind the subject can deal with the backround issue, I read an article by a pro who prints various textures onto paper which he glues either side of card.

Another tip is if you shoot a closeup indoors is to light the subject with a desk lamp or two at the sides this will cause the subject to be lit and result in a darker background as the exposure will be set to the lit subject.