SMB Photography Competition: Round 3: Growth - Discussion Thread

[not spavin]

Nice shot keeps - the flowers almost look mournful.

 

[keeps21]

Nice shot keeps - the flowers almost look mournful.

Cheers, it's not the shot I had planned to enter this month but I haven't had the time to take the one I want.

So decided to go for a 'different take' on growth.

Already some great shots entered this month, my favourites being yours and superkev's.

I've got a similar shot to yours from a while back where a tree is growing over a sign which has been nailed to it for years, but it's not as dramatic as the park bench in yours.

 

[gramw]

Just chucked one up there. Only just bought a camera and am a complete beginner but was out just snapping random things and i quite liked the results. Complete beginner mind Any tips?

 

[Cartman]

Just chucked one up there. Only just bought a camera and am a complete beginner but was out just snapping random things and i quite liked the results. Complete beginner mind Any tips?

me too mate but this is what it'a all about, I have never used my camera so much

 

[Deleted member 5265]

Cartman your pics from Scotland are wonderful. The colour is amazing.

Loads of good ones from others posted for this month so far as well.

Just chucked one up there. Only just bought a camera and am a complete beginner but was out just snapping random things and i quite liked the results. Complete beginner mind Any tips?

Hi there, I'm only a beginner too so I'm not sure I'm qualified to give any comment, but here goes anyway! I like it, it looks to me like you've really thought about the subject and the colours, and making it stand out against the background (something I've only just learnt). if I had one piece of constructive criticism, I would say maybe think about the focus of the flower head that is the subject - could it have been a touch sharper?

In relation to something completely different, I have been doing some research on Sunderland Winter Gardens. If I was still Sunderland based, I'd be heading off there tomorrow with my camera with this month's theme in mind. Just a thought for any of you living in the dear motherland!

 

[SuperKev]

My efforts so far, all pretty much the same but some cropped, any advice appreciated please

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47682169@N05/sets/72157623476973933/

love them mate - especially No 1 and mushcrop

Just chucked one up there. Only just bought a camera and am a complete beginner but was out just snapping random things and i quite liked the results. Complete beginner mind Any tips?

nice pic mate - not sure if I'm qualified either but you may want to crop the pic to exclude the stem on the left hand side (advice from Spav ) so that the main flower is the only focus on the pic.

 

[gramw]

Hi there, I'm only a beginner too so I'm not sure I'm qualified to give any comment, but here goes anyway! I like it, it looks to me like you've really thought about the subject and the colours, and making it stand out against the background (something I've only just learnt). if I had one piece of constructive criticism, I would say maybe think about the focus of the flower head that is the subject - could it have been a touch sharper?

Cheers Janie, will keep it in mind next time i have a go. Had a go yesterday and couldnt get it any sharper, any ideas anyone?

nice pic mate - not sure if I'm qualified either but you may want to crop the pic to exclude the stem on the left hand side (advice from Spav ) so that the main flower is the only focus on the pic.

Yeah thats what i was thinking of doing but at the same time quite liked having something there, will crop it and chuck it on here and see what its like

 

[Cartman]

Thanks for the comments everyone, still don't know which one to enter though. You know when you have looked at something so many times, I am there!

 

[Deleted member 5265]

Thanks for the comments everyone, still don't know which one to enter though. You know when you have looked at something so many times, I am there!

How do you get so much colour in them? are you doing anything special or is that just as it was when you took them?

 

[Roger]

Just chucked one up there. Only just bought a camera and am a complete beginner but was out just snapping random things and i quite liked the results. Complete beginner mind Any tips?

I tend to agree with janiep and SuperKev. To me the stem on the left is a distraction. I like things in the foreground in my photos, and it might have worked if the stem was further across, but for me its just to much to the left and draws my eyes away from the main subject.

In terms of focus, I would be looking at increasing (or even decreasing) the depth of field on the flower. The front half is in sharp focus, but the rest blurs away. Personally I would either try and get most of it in focus or only a very small part of it (ie the very front). It is all about changing the aperture size to achieve this. As usual, with digital, take lots of "the same" photo using different settings and you will soon get a feel for things.

The other thing I would normally do is move your main subject slightly away from the centreline.

Finally I would add that these are MY opinions, look at the previous rounds voting and comments and you will see there is no right or wrong. Different people will see different things in the photo and that is a fine effort for a complete beginner.

 

[Cartman]

How do you get so much colour in them? are you doing anything special or is that just as it was when you took them?

That's just how they were Janey, I have another one in which the green moss really jumps out but the mushroom is a bit out of focus. I will hoy it up

 

[gramw]

I tend to agree with janiep and SuperKev. To me the stem on the left is a distraction. I like things in the foreground in my photos, and it might have worked if the stem was further across, but for me its just to much to the left and draws my eyes away from the main subject.

In terms of focus, I would be looking at increasing (or even decreasing) the depth of field on the flower. The front half is in sharp focus, but the rest blurs away. Personally I would either try and get most of it in focus or only a very small part of it (ie the very front). It is all about changing the aperture size to achieve this. As usual, with digital, take lots of "the same" photo using different settings and you will soon get a feel for things.

The other thing I would normally do is move your main subject slightly away from the centreline.

Finally I would add that these are MY opinions, look at the previous rounds voting and comments and you will see there is no right or wrong. Different people will see different things in the photo and that is a fine effort for a complete beginner.

Thanks Rog, will keep that in mind

 

[APB]

Peach, any chance you can explain your entry, nice pic but I just don't know what it is?

 

[peachy]

Peach, any chance you can explain your entry, nice pic but I just don't know what it is?

It is eco-soil, you buy a little tiny sachet of the eco-soil and then put it in water and it "grows" (meets the theme I hope). I had some "grown" (ie wetted) and some sachets of the tiny "unwetted" little seeds, so I put them both out together and photographed them. I was just working with them together taking loads of pictures, but when i looked at them on the computer screen I noticed some of the little ones had sort of almost gelled to the bigger ones which gave me the idea of the title "Pop".

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this is how eco soil is used in vases when "wetted" ie instead of water (picure from the net, can't find a picture of it unwetted).

 

[APB]

It is eco-soil, you buy a little tiny sachet of the eco-soil and then put it in water and it "grows" (meets the theme I hope). I had some "grown" (ie wetted) and some sachets of the tiny "unwetted" little seeds, so I put them both out together and photographed them. I was just working with them together taking loads of pictures, but when i looked at them on the computer screen I noticed some of the little ones had sort of almost gelled to the bigger ones which gave me the idea of the title "Pop".

Logon or register to see this image

this is how eco soil is used in vases when "wetted" ie instead of water (picure from the net, can't find a picture of it unwetted).

Very original peach, well done

 

[Ghost of EH7]

Oh well, I'm stumped trying to come up with a good shot of something original.

May well just be voting rather than entering this month. Although I did promise myself I'd enter every round it doesn't seem worth it if my shot isn't up to standard - as I found out in January.

 

[APB]

Oh well, I'm stumped trying to come up with a good shot of something original.

May well just be voting rather than entering this month. Although I did promise myself I'd enter every round it doesn't seem worth it if my shot isn't up to standard - as I found out in January.

Just hoy one up man you git tart

Or has NotSpavins intimidating tactics worked?

 

[Cartman]

Oh well, I'm stumped trying to come up with a good shot of something original.

May well just be voting rather than entering this month. Although I did promise myself I'd enter every round it doesn't seem worth it if my shot isn't up to standard - as I found out in January.

Get one stuck up man you tart, mine was crap last month but it was all I could achieve

 

[SuperKev]

Oh well, I'm stumped trying to come up with a good shot of something original.

May well just be voting rather than entering this month. Although I did promise myself I'd enter every round it doesn't seem worth it if my shot isn't up to standard - as I found out in January.

I'm still waiting for your lass and the watering can

 

[SuperKev]

It is eco-soil, you buy a little tiny sachet of the eco-soil and then put it in water and it "grows" (meets the theme I hope). I had some "grown" (ie wetted) and some sachets of the tiny "unwetted" little seeds, so I put them both out together and photographed them. I was just working with them together taking loads of pictures, but when i looked at them on the computer screen I noticed some of the little ones had sort of almost gelled to the bigger ones which gave me the idea of the title "Pop".

Logon or register to see this image

this is how eco soil is used in vases when "wetted" ie instead of water (picure from the net, can't find a picture of it unwetted).

ahhh that makes more sense