well, here i go again

[StormDriven]

i didnt gt a chance to re shoot the barn due to weather, been stuck inside all day. so i tried something else, and i actually kind of like them. please let me know what u think.

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/8581/029uq2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/029uq2.jpg/1/w1024.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img186/029uq2.jpg/1/)

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/3045/020rh4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/020rh4.jpg/1/w683.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img244/020rh4.jpg/1/)

[canonnoob]

first one is oof.... the third one i really like...

[Walczak Photo]

Well, I'm probably not the best person to judge the first shot there...to me it looks like an oof shot of a green pepper and I don't like green peppers whether they're in focus or not. On the second shot, I really like the idea but I'm seeing two problems. First, the flowers look fake. I don't think they actually were as I'm seeing some brownish edges on a few of the pedals, but they look fake. From that point of view, I think I would have gone with a nicely arranged bouquet of roses instead (maybe spritzed with just a little bit of water) and perhaps a more interesting pot/planter.

The second problem here is the direct light on the flowers. I could be wrong here, but this looks like it was from on camera flash....it's very direct and rather harsh (perhaps adding to the fake look of the flowers themselves). Personally I would have done one of two things here. I would have either used a flash off camera and off to the side (either further back or with the power dialed down) or, considering this is essentially a "still life" with a subject that doesn't move around a lot, I might have gotten really creative, setup the camera on a tripod with a bit longer exposure and used something like a flash light or MAGlite to "paint" the light onto the flowers.

Again I really like the idea here...the composition is otherwise nice and I think the holiday lights in the background are wonderful, but considering this was clearly done in your home where you had the time to work with it, I would have put more effort into the main subject.

Peace,
Jim

[StormDriven]

Well, I'm probably not the best person to judge the first shot there...to me it looks like an oof shot of a green pepper and I don't like green peppers whether they're in focus or not. On the second shot, I really like the idea but I'm seeing two problems. First, the flowers look fake. I don't think they actually were as I'm seeing some brownish edges on a few of the pedals, but they look fake. From that point of view, I think I would have gone with a nicely arranged bouquet of roses instead (maybe spritzed with just a little bit of water) and perhaps a more interesting pot/planter.

The second problem here is the direct light on the flowers. I could be wrong here, but this looks like it was from on camera flash....it's very direct and rather harsh (perhaps adding to the fake look of the flowers themselves). Personally I would have done one of two things here. I would have either used a flash off camera and off to the side (either further back or with the power dialed down) or, considering this is essentially a "still life" with a subject that doesn't move around a lot, I might have gotten really creative, setup the camera on a tripod with a bit longer exposure and used something like a flash light or MAGlite to "paint" the light onto the flowers.

Again I really like the idea here...the composition is otherwise nice and I think the holiday lights in the background are wonderful, but considering this was clearly done in your home where you had the time to work with it, I would have put more effort into the main subject.

Peace,
Jim


Jim you are absolutely correct on your assumptions. They are fake flowers, and i used the on camera flash. Also, i should have used a tripod, which i dont have currently. I certainly could have spent more time preping this photograph since this was done inside my home. I tried a few different techniques w/out flash and bumping up ISO etc but nothing would get a clear shot. i even messed with different lighting, but everything i did resulted in highlighting the christmas tree in the background, which i did not want. I appreciate your honesty here and insight it has provided.

[MattMoore]

first one is oof.... the third one i really like...

I only see 2...

[Thumbsup]

I only see 2...

When I read that there were three I went back for a better look and there is a image missing. I can view the green pepper and the flowers. What one am I missing?

[canonnoob]

the 2nd image is missing but there are still 3 images

[StormDriven]

there are only two, the red x is a broken add file or something

[Walczak Photo]

Also, i should have used a tripod, which i dont have currently.


I wanted to address this real quick as it seems like I've been seeing this from a lot of folks lately. All a tripod is is a convenient and (relatively) easy way of steadying a camera (or camcorder for those movie folks out there). That said, a tripod isn't the only way to do this. I know there are folks here on POTN that can't even seem to turn their camera on without their $300 carbon fiber tripods, but please don't let yourself be one of them! I've actually purchased 6 or 7 tripods over the years (many from flee markets and such for $5 a piece...I just can't resist a bargain! LOL!) and I have to tell you that except for portraits or specific long exposure shots (and as stands for my flashes), I almost never use one. Even for the long exposure stuff, yes, I will use one because it's convenient, but even if I didn't own one, there -ARE- other ways to steady a camera. For a shot like this that was done in your home you can use a table, a chair, the back of a couch or recliner, a bookshelf, pillow, bench, ledge, wall, etc., etc.. I actually shoot in a lot of low light situations (such as indoor zoo-like facilities for example) and there's almost always something that can be used to brace the camera. In fact, except for a museum where your not allowed to touch ANYTHING, there's almost always something you can use. I actually have a shot of one of my cats taken in a dimly lit room with some natural window light where I setup the camera on a pillow on the bed and used the timer so I could get a nice shot of him sleeping.

I'm not trying to be mean or rude here, but please don't let not owning a simple piece of equipment such as a tripod stop you from taking good pictures. To me that's even worse than blaming an out of focus or poorly composed image on a "kit lens".

Peace,
Jim