Your Canon Photos No. 5: 4th to 10th June 2023

So... I have a question for all of you here, given that a couple of people seem to enjoy shooting some flowers as well:

Do you really try to get the full flower in focus usually?

Being a macro shooter for the most part and also using old manual lenses exclusively (many of which, like projection lenses don't have a variable aperture) that thought seems very foreign to me, even though I get the notion and value of showing a full bloom in its own right of course - particularly if the intention is an accurate documentation. I still usually can't bring myself to do that.

I just find the background way too distracting most of the time, unless everything else is really far away or I got some of those (rare) lenses in hand, which seem to be able to render anything smoothly, no matter how far you stop it down.

Here's a shot with an Agfa Super-Intergon 105 mm f/5.6 (wide open), which shows the maximum DOF where I usually still feel comfortable:

Dig in, little one! by simple.joy, on Flickr

Perhaps I can sometimes deal with going to f/8, if I feel like there's enough interest in showing more and I'm already relatively close... but usually I like somewhere around this best:

No one else wanted it... now it's Robert‘s! by simple.joy, on Flickr
(shot at around f/2.8)

or even softer, like this:

Hard to be soft in a good way... by simple.joy, on Flickr

I'm curious to know your thoughts and preferences!

Simplejoy,

I do try to get the full flower in focus usually. In doing so I try to pick the best background I can. Sometimes moving around a few inches will achieve that. But I often find what you show as being outstanding too with the softness. In particular, I really like the 3rd photo. I'm open to different styles, so anything goes.

Saying that, I also try to keep everything in focus for many other types of photos. The exception would be if I was taking pictures of wildlife with my long telephoto lens. But It would be at that time that I would want to have a great looking background too. What I have learned over the years is that everything in the photo is important. It's more than the subject matter; it is everything.

But that's my style with keeping most things in focus (if possible)...with some exceptions. Everyone is different and I like seeing this diversity.

Thanks for the input! It's really interesting to realize that I'm pretty much the other way around... in very rare instances I go for "sharp from front to back" but even when I focus stack I usually try to at least keep some part of the natural DOF present:

And you just looked away... by simple.joy, on Flickr

Colors spring to mind by simple.joy, on Flickr

I feel like your approach works very well though in cases like this:

On the uniform background and with enough color contrast present the flower looks beautiful at f/9 and nothing distracts from its beauty, while it still is shown in a more realistic way in its surroundings. I like that. Gotta try to do that more often myself. I feel like it's an important skill finding a working composition, even when there's not too much possible in terms of using DOF separation.

I fully agree! It's great seeing different approaches.

Here's a lens I recently loved to experiment with which seems to render very nicely no matter the f-stop btw.! However it seems to be limited to around f/6 or f/8 anyway...

They open as daisy fit by simple.joy, on Flickr

I'm not lucky enough to own a macro lens or substitute (yet), so it's not usually a problem with single flowers for me.
I do like trying to isolate individual flowers with a telephoto lens.

@simplejoy all your flower pics are very good BTW.

This is a Yucca plant. They grow around 6-8' tall.

Just for the heck of it, I set the aperture on this one to f/11
(I don't usually take pictures at that small of an aperture)

This a pecan tree.
I call him the "Old Man of the North" He's all gnarled and everything..
The squirrels love him.

Steve Thomas

Steve,

I didn't know that Yucca plants grow in your area. I assume that you live in the mid-West somewhere.

Are you able to collect pecans from the tree? I just bought some yesterday at the store...yummy...I sure like them. 😀

Thanks a lot for letting me know about your view!

A significant majority of my flower (and other nature shots) are actually single shots taken outside:

I’m far from a great... but a straight shooter! by simple.joy, on Flickr

Down-de-line by simple.joy, on Flickr

Winter? Still open season for color. by simple.joy, on Flickr

I select you! by simple.joy, on Flickr

Resis-dance by simple.joy, on Flickr

Of(f)Spring and farewells by simple.joy, on Flickr

You're wonderful... put yourself out there! by simple.joy, on Flickr

I‘ll take any light detector test! by simple.joy, on Flickr

Brightens up my day by simple.joy, on Flickr

Not a single studio, stacked or posed shot (unless you consider my wifes gardening part of the "posing" 😉) among them. I think the main difference might be how close we are to the flowers and the importance we put on showing the "whole thing".

I'm considering trying to shake my routine up a little bit, but usually when I try shots with a bit more distance to the subject I feel like I really need to have the "right" lens on, in terms of background rendering, otherwise I already know that I won't enjoy the result very much. If I got this lens with me (Tomioka Copal-E66 75 mm f/2.8 enlarger lens), I usually don't worry about the distance too much:

Don't worry, we're just playing ball here! by simple.joy, on Flickr

Hi simplejoy,

Personally I judge each shot on its merits like those below, some have slightly distracting backgrounds like the wild Roses, the Bluebells are out of focus except one, which works for me and the dead weed (OMG what am I saying). I just like them, to me thats all that matters and I enjoy the way you see life also, please keep posting them simplejoy.

Thank you very much!

Thanks for your input and those shots... WOW - all of those are quite wonderful, excellent work! 👍

Simplejoy,

Your flower photos are delightful. I very much enjoy seeing them.

Mocha,

I just love seeing your photos, not only these but so much of what you show all of the time. You have an eye for making these nice.

The thing about Yucca plants is that they don't have a very deep root system, and they are prone to just fall over.

This is not a very good picture, but I'm experimenting with something. I took the picture with my camera, and using the Camera Connect and Control software, downloaded it to my tablet. I'm then uploading it to this forum with no computer interface at all.
I could just as easily be out in the field somewhere (assuming there was a Wi-fi signal).

Steve Thomas

Steve,

It looks like you will be able to do it. If there is a WIFI signal we will have to see what else you can capture with your camera.

Hi simplejoy, Thank You.

Hi Digirame, Thank You.