[tkj365]

Here are five flower macro shots that I took experimenting with a new lens. Can you give feedback, thoughts on any improvments?

Attached Images

         

[hcc]

I love the 3rd one for the colours, the contrast and the framing.

Thank you for sharing.

[Velja]

Hi,
My favorite is No.4. I would have ordered a cramped square crop.
greeting

[smf]

I enjoyed these photos.

It would be easier to make helpful suggestions if you provided such information as shutter speed, ISO, aperture setting, choice of lens and whether a tripod or other support was used.

The fourth photograph — of the rose — has at its center sharper focus than I see in the other photographs.

Detail in white petals can be challenging to capture. I don't see much detail in the petals in the first photograph, and the bee appears to be slightly blurred. The latter could be because of your choice of ISO setting and shutter speed.

In the second photo, depending in part on your choices of aperture setting and shutter speed, you probably had a choice of whether the water droplets or some other part of the subject would be sharply in focus. Because I love photos of water droplets on flowers, I probably would have chosen the water droplets for at least some of my photographs.

Pertaining to photograph three, perhaps you could have moved back slightly and included the full bottom bloom. And, in that photo, a smaller aperture might have allowed a larger area of sharper focus — including the water drops.

The fifth image is quite nice as presented. Perhaps an image in which the bloom's center is not centered in the frame would also be successful.
Thanks very much for posting these photographs. I hope to see more of your work. Best wishes.

[grainbelt]

They all appear to be slightly underexposed, and would benefit from a curves adjustment to alter the contrast.

I quite like the framing in the second photo, and it has the most 'punch', with the bright orange against the green and black background.

[Gregory_51]

Hello
As stated above the exif data would be a help. In general there are problems with dof. Was a tripod used? What aperture was used? What ISO? etc.
#1 The placement is OK but the bee is not sharp.
#2 The pistils and stamens are not sharp.
#3 Again dof issues but a lack of composition too.
#4 The centre of the rose is sharp and almost enough dof but wasted space around subject I would use a square crop on this one.
#5 A touch dark and again the stamens in the middle are fuzzy. Some softness on the borders is OK but not in the centre of the image.
In general I would bump up the ISO so you can stop the lens down. You can go to f11 before you get into diffraction problems with smaller apertures. Use a tripod if you haven't been doing so, it allows you to frame and check the image.
Not wishing to be harsh, just my observations.
Regards
Greg

[tkj365]

Hello
As stated above the exif data would be a help. In general there are problems with dof. Was a tripod used? What aperture was used? What ISO? etc.
#1 The placement is OK but the bee is not sharp.
#2 The pistils and stamens are not sharp.
#3 Again dof issues but a lack of composition too.
#4 The centre of the rose is sharp and almost enough dof but wasted space around subject I would use a square crop on this one.
#5 A touch dark and again the stamens in the middle are fuzzy. Some softness on the borders is OK but not in the centre of the image.
In general I would bump up the ISO so you can stop the lens down. You can go to f11 before you get into diffraction problems with smaller apertures. Use a tripod if you haven't been doing so, it allows you to frame and check the image.
Not wishing to be harsh, just my observations.
Regards
Greg

Agreed in general, for my first use with this lens, I think I did okay. Unfortunately, I was not in a position to use a tripod nor will I ever be, unless they can create one that is truly portable and not just folding up into a heavy bulky hunk....

[smf]

If a tripod is out of the question, you might consider a monopod.