[Rupert]

The "happy medium" looks best to me. Nice shot, sharp, great color, not much more you could ask for.
Regards!

[jcamero]

+2 on image 2. It's very pleasing. I wonder what a very slight profile would look like? I need to find sunflowers NOW!

[Gregory_51]

It's hard to take an image of a flower that hasn't been done thousands of times before. You can experiment and in the process learn about different aspects of photography as you do so. You have taken the photo on a sunny day which gives a harsh light but also ties in with the subject, Sunflower. It's coming in from a sharp angle which is some interplay of shadows across the flower which adds some interest and would be absent if the sun had been behind you. Experiment when you are shooting. After taking the obvious shot explore the subject, different angles, different heights, etc. etc. I like the details of things and here I like the intricate patterns of the stamens in the centre or the outer petals. I would have moved in or zoomed in to isolate the details and that to me at least would have made a more interesting image. The exposure and colour seem OK. In your reading you should learn about RAW. JPEG is a lossy format and limits your post processing options. RAW isn't hard to use and all the sensor data is saved and will give you the best results. I always try to convince people that RAW is the only way to shoot. A few years ago memory was expensive but these days it's dirt cheap so it makes no sense to shoot JPEG only. Think about it, a RAW file might 10 megabytes where the JPEG version of the same image might be 200 kilobytes do you think you've lost something when you only have a JPEG? Like I said processing a RAW isn't any harder than processing a JPEG. Getting back to your image, watch the background when you shoot. I see this all the time with images put up for critique. Perhaps an interesting subject but a busy or distracting background that detracts or ruins an otherwise interesting image. In this case the tree trunks on the right hand side, even though they are out of focus they are a lighter brown tone and different from the blues and green of the sky and foliage and add distracting verticals . Everything in a photo affects the resulting image, the light, the subject, the background,the DOF, the colour or lack of colour, the angle, the focal length of the lens, the shutter speed, the ISO, the time of day etc. Each aspect either helps build a better image or helps destroy it. Studying some good images will give you insight into how to be a better photographer. Ask yourself why is it a good image. How was it shot, how did they do that, what would I have done differently to make it better?. Or if it's just a stunning image just enjoy it and use it for inspiration, something to aspire to.Studying and practice will help you see better and take better images.
Regards
Greg

[Gregory_51]

It's hard to take an image of a flower that hasn't been done thousands of times before. You can experiment and in the process learn about different aspects of photography as you do so. You have taken the photo on a sunny day which gives a harsh light but also ties in with the subject, Sunflower. It's coming in from a sharp angle which is some interplay of shadows across the flower which adds some interest and would be absent if the sun had been behind you. Experiment when you are shooting. After taking the obvious shot explore the subject, different angles, different heights, etc. etc. I like the details of things and here I like the intricate patterns of the stamens in the centre or the outer petals. I would have moved in or zoomed in to isolate the details and that to me at least would have made a more interesting image. The exposure and colour seem OK. In your reading you should learn about RAW. JPEG is a lossy format and limits your post processing options. RAW isn't hard to use and all the sensor data is saved and will give you the best results. I always try to convince people that RAW is the only way to shoot. A few years ago memory was expensive but these days it's dirt cheap so it makes no sense to shoot JPEG only. Think about it, a RAW file might 10 megabytes where the JPEG version of the same image might be 200 kilobytes do you think you've lost something when you only have a JPEG? Like I said processing a RAW isn't any harder than processing a JPEG. Getting back to your image, watch the background when you shoot. I see this all the time with images put up for critique. Perhaps an interesting subject but a busy or distracting background that detracts or ruins an otherwise interesting image. In this case the tree trunks on the right hand side, even though they are out of focus they are a lighter brown tone and different from the blues and green of the sky and foliage and add distracting verticals . Everything in a photo affects the resulting image, the light, the subject, the background,the DOF, the colour or lack of colour, the angle, the focal length of the lens, the shutter speed, the ISO, the time of day etc. Each aspect either helps build a better image or helps destroy it. Studying some good images will give you insight into how to be a better photographer. Ask yourself why is it a good image. How was it shot, how did they do that, what would I have done differently to make it better?. Or if it's just a stunning image just enjoy it and use it for inspiration, something to aspire to.Studying and practice will help you see better and take better images.
Regards
Greg

[alamo5000]

I took some pictures in RAW and actually I liked those A LOT better. The difference was very noticeable.

The only software I have that will open RAW though is the stuff supplied with my camera. Pentax Digital. My MAIN problem with the post processing stuff is I don't know how to read all those little graphs and stuff, and I don't know what all the words mean or how it effects the image.

I need a dang glossary to know what those things are. Hue, tone, dodge, gray point setting, sensitivity, and so and so forth might as well be written in greek to me. Marginal Luminal Compensation??? HELLO???? Spurious color signal reduction? Shadow compensation graph?

Uh huh. *scratches head*

[alamo5000]

Here is another image from the same 'set'...straight up as it was shot. Just resized a bit.

[alamo5000]

+2 on image 2. It's very pleasing. I wonder what a very slight profile would look like? I need to find sunflowers NOW!

I have about 10 or 12 decent shots...all different...I can go take a whole ton more if needed...

[alamo5000]

The "happy medium" looks best to me. Nice shot, sharp, great color, not much more you could ask for.
Regards!

Do I need to put up some really messed up photograph so you guys can teach me something?? LOL!!!!

[Gregory_51]

Yikes, that sound like crap software. Get photoshop elements 10. It's cheap, $70 at Costco or wait for it to go on sale somewhere else if your'e patient. It has a raw converter, a catalogue so you can organize and find your image later, and most of the tools to do 90% of what you might want as opposed to photoshop CS6 which is about $800. It also has a RAW converter. When open a RAW file in elements it automatically opens in the RAW converter. There is an "auto" choice that will get you close with one click of the mouse. Then click open image and edit, crop to your hearts content. Like I said, easy . Actually Elements has a number of auto or quick fix buttons that get you close with a click. As for learning, there are endless videos on the web, youtube and photography sites which will tell you what the sliders do in no time at all. You can spend a lifetime studying and trying to make better images but you can start quickly with the basics and improve as you gain knowledge . You already can crop your image and resize it which is something you maybe didn't know how to do a few weeks ago. I quite enjoy working an image on the computer, some people don't but I find it quite creative. Some of my images end up completely different from what came out of the camera.

[selar]

I suggest you read a ook called The Photographers Mind by Michae; Freman. That might give you some clues on how to exppress your thoughts through your photographs.

There isn't anything wrong per se with your photo of the sunflower, however it is not succeeding in saying anything more than saying A Sunflower.

[alamo5000]

I suggest you read a ook called The Photographers Mind by Michae; Freman. That might give you some clues on how to exppress your thoughts through your photographs.

There isn't anything wrong per se with your photo of the sunflower, however it is not succeeding in saying anything more than saying A Sunflower.

I have that ook and am reading that ook right now. LOL!!!

I started another thread in the newbies forum recommending it to everyone....

Its not on my list... I'm reading it right now. As in literally, right now

I kind of agree with you on the 'message' of the photograph though... its subtle as to my 'summer' message...

That goes back to me finding things around me that inspire me. I am kind of struggling with that at the moment. There is really nothing in my little town and out here in the country that captures my imagination. I can take pictures of cows. Not much else here.

[selar]

What do people do for fun in Summer in your part of the world that they can't do in other seasons? Try taking a photo of that on a bright sunny day. Could be as simple and cliche as children running through a lawn sprinkler.

[jcamero]

I love this one!

[fg-one]

I find your first version too tightly cropped and centered. It would be nicer if the flower was not exactly facing the camera. I like the background on the original version and this is how I would present it.

[Williunck]

It is good to learn what the base photo rules of composition and color are, but don't get too caught up in that. When i was in college it was a general rule that you did not crop the top of a models head off. Then about 2 years ago in just about every fashion magazine i picked up I see photos of the models with the top of their heads cropped off. My advice, learn the rules and then look for creative ways to break them - photography is an art form afterall.

About your photo - i actually like seeing some of the leaves the way fg-one cropped it above. I find the trees slightly distracting even though they are out of focus, If I was shooting it i would try moving lower and getting the whole yellow head framed by nothing but sky, and a polarizing filter would give some deeper blues which might be nice.