The red rose

[petar]

Hello everyone!

I'm curious to know whether I've finally started to understand how macro photography is supposed to work, or if there are still things I should improve. Feel free to be as critical as you like, that's exactly why I'm sharing this photo. Any feedback is greatly appreciated, and thank you in advance!

P.S. My plans have changed a bit, and it looks like I'll be traveling until October, so my order for the EL-5 will have to wait until I get back home. After that, I'm also planning to pick up a Cygnustech diffuser for macro photography.

 

[THXGEEK]

Hello, Petar -

This looks lovely!

My only critique would be this: If it's a macro photo, really lean into it! Zoom in more closely to include only a portion of one or two pedals (and their water droplets).

Now if your intent is a closeup of the entire bloom, then perhaps pull back a bit to include a bit more stem - to me that would make it a more complete picture.

Of course, that is only my humble opinion, and your artistic intent is waaay more important than my (or anyone else') opinion!

Finally, I can recommend this book for a deep dive in the world of macro. Enjoy!



(Post some more!)

 

[petar]

@THXGEEK Thank you for your comment. I truly appreciate the feedback, and I think you're absolutely right!

At first, I tried focusing on smaller parts of the flower to find a stronger composition, but I just couldn't capture the moment the way you suggested while also keeping my original idea of the color transition from yellow to red to brown. With the wider composition, I felt I had a little more room to play with those colors and how they interact.

As for the leaves, I somehow didn't find them appealing enough to pull back and include more of the rose, so I decided to stay closer to the bloom itself. That said, I'll definitely keep your suggestion in mind next time and try a few different approaches that could make for an interesting discussion and comparison.

And thank you for the book recommendation as well! I'll definitely take a look at it. It seems very interesting!

 

[glosardo]

Petar, how did you produce the black background? This is a very beautiful image.

 

[Archibald]

Lovely image! So much detail. The water droplets add a lot. It is great that you are working on composition of a flower photo (and not just a snapshot). I would try moving it up in the frame and slightly (only slightly) to the right. This would give less black at the top, more plant at bottom, and it would be less central. It could stand to be brightened a bit too - but on the other hand, it has a special look the way it is.

You were able to catch the colors faithfully. Red roses often show a hue shift in the bright parts because of clipping, but your colors look excellent.