good/bad pics for a 15 year old?

[wildwill]

are these good pics for a beginer 15 year old.

[camo]

Hi Wildwill

Well done a good start.

One tip I would give you; is do not zoom in so close, try to leave a border around your subject and then you can crop it as you wish.

We look forward to seeing lots more photos from you.

Camo

[Geoff F]

What camera, etc?

My general suggestions to anybody starting off flower photography would be:

Always use a tripod, even a cheap lightweight one will do, or something else to rest the camera on. Use spot or partial metering and experiment with exposure compensation. If possible try to avoid strong direct sunlight, but not heavy shade. The only way to get true colours is using a Custom White Balance. Think about the different colours in a flower and work out the best exposure, be careful to avoid over exposing the bright areas, remember dark areas can be improved with editing but blown highlights are lost forever. Sometimes checking for a best exposure average and using manual control works best. Make sure that you have sufficent depth of field and adjust the aperture accordingly, don't be afraid to increase ISO slightly when necessary.

Finally, a general comment to everyone, when a photo is resized downwards for internet use, it usually gets a bit soft so a little tweak with Unsharp Mask will restore the 'sparkle', but don't overdo it.

And above all else, keep shooting and experimenting.

[Pippa]

I only take pics for pleasure so had to say, enjoy first and keep shooting .


You will get great advice here for a more pro outlook too.

[Connor7]

You dont always have to get the flower to fill up the screen, experiment with different compositions for different effects. If it has just rained or the flower has water on it try and use the flash to light up each individual water droplet. Using a flash also gives you the opptunity to use a faster shutter speed so you dont have to hold the camera still for as long.

Good luck


Connor

[MrLouKnee]

im 38 and youre taking better pics than i can

[Lancashire Lad]

As Geoff has mentioned above, it would be good to know what type of camera you are using, and what settings etc.

You obviously favour macro shots (and if you are into flowers etc. you will find plenty of like minded people on WAB).

I would agree that you should try to ensure that, (unless you are going for extreme close-up of flower parts), the complete flowerhead is in the frame, so that bits of petal aren't cut off. It's generally a good idea to leave a reasonable margin around the flower so that you have more options for editing & cropping etc.

The pics look slightly soft, and would benefit from a little sharpening by using image editing software such as Photoshop Elements or Paintshop Pro. If you don't want to spend money on such software - "Gimp" is a free download, and offers everything that you will need.

Image editing software takes a bit of time to get used to, but when you've mastered the basics, you will definitely see the benefits in your end results. Whichever software you go for, there are plenty of simple tutorials on-line, that can guide you through the various procedures (and don't be afraid to ask on WAB - help is here if you need it).

Picture sharpness will definitely be assisted by use of a tripod. It will allow you much more flexibility in exposure settings (i.e. it will allow slow shutter speeds, which in turn will enable maximising depth of field). I agree that tripods are somewhat cumbersome, and we would all prefer not to have to use them, but the results will speak for themselves, in the improvement that you will see to your finished photo's.

Your exposures are good, and you obviously have the photographical basics down that will enable some excellent results in future. So take on board everyone's comments, keep firing away, and most importantly just enjoy taking pics.

Regards
Mike.

[KeenTeen17]

if you need any help on flower ID or how to photo just give me a PM. I'm 17 and started when I was 15 too. Its best to talk to Leifus as well because hes a 15 year old botanist as well

[big bill]

Hello Wildwill ,do not get pulled down by the points raised above they are all valid and good points take them on board and learn from them,no one is perfect every photo has to have some post production work,but it helps to aim to try and get it perfect in frame.
Like its mention on macro use a tripod or at least a monopod to add stability,using a tripod slows you down and allows you to check everything is just so and if possible if camera allows it use a camera release system to trip the shutter.This will stop any vibration caused by tripping the shutter with your finger.
Check out your point of focus and focus carefully ,pick out which part of the flower you wish to be pin sharp and focus on this point.
And the only other thing is to practice and keep on practicing ,in the days of film it was hard but now digital is here its a breeze and econimical,best of luck.

By the way your pics are ok slightly soft but it would help to know type of camera used and set up used

[Geoff F]

One other point which we have all forgotten to mention.

It doesn't matter what sort of camera or tripod etc that you are using if the flowers are blowing around in a gale of wind. So choose a still day or erect some sort of basic temporary windbreak.