First blooming flower

First blooming flower, in my garden, had to take a pic...

C&C welcome

Did your popup flash go off? The shadows are a bit harsh, and I also don't see a focal point - like my eyes aren't sure where to look.

emelvee wrote in post #14116246
Did your popup flash go off? The shadows are a bit harsh, and I also don't see a focal point - like my eyes aren't sure where to look.

External flash on top of camera...

Ah okay ... I find the shadows a bit distracting.

Any suggestions on improvement?

Watch some of these...http://www.youtube.com …3782l5084l10.2.​1.9-1l14l0

chauncey wrote in post #14118410
Watch some of these...http://www.youtube.com …3782l5084l10.2.​1.9-1l14l0

Some good ideas there, I'm going to revisit this tonight after work and see if I can eliminate some of those shadows...

Reshoot...

I like it much better! Did you bounce it or diffuse?

Thanks, bounced with a card...

On these shots, I understand that you have the ability to get close with your macro lenses, but I would suggest backing up the shot, especially with this type of flower.

yea, i've started doing that more...

Thanks!

I'm no professional by any means but I can say that I see a tad bit of noise in the dark areas and also I'm not to big on seeing flash reflections at all in photos, but once again I'm not voicing an expert opinion. I have really had fun taking flower pictures at dusk and dawn with longer exposures at a really low iso, usually 100. I have found that the contrast is fantastic due to the external lighting at these hours. Good shot though, It would make for really cool wall art. I have become rather fond of vertical images recently thanks to my girlfriend, who is actually a professional photographer.