What do you think?

[howard09]

Hello

Can i please have some feedback on the following shot.

Thanks

[amk1977]

Hi Howard,

Compositionally, its not a bad shot. I'd have been tempted to snap the seed pod off the plant behind, as its a little distracting. Its very easy to get wrapped up in your subject and not pay attention to the surroundings, so bear this in mind for all shots you take. I'd also crop the image down somewhat.

Technically, it looks very soft but, I'm guessing that's because it was shot on the Tamron 70-300 at full zoom and wide open at f/5.6. Ideally for shots like this, you want a dedicated macro lens which give you up to 1:1 lifesize, a shallow depth of field and are razor sharp, giving you lots of detail. Although many lenses have "macro" features, its close focus at best and generally, the image quality isn't that great.

If you're looking to do macro work, it might well be worth investing in a dedicated macro lens like the Tamron SP90, Sigma 105mm, Tokina 100mm, Nikon 105mm. Not all of these will autofocus with the D3100. I know one model of the SP90 does AF with the D3100 (think its the 272EN II). The newer AF-s version of the Nikkor 105mm will AF too. The older AF-D won't.

Although macro work is best performed manually, just be aware of the different models. It's always nice to have AF option.