Downy Yellow Violet

[Paul Burgess]

Hi folks!!
After nearly six months of thinking about what lens to buy, I have settled on the 24-105mm F/4L IS, which I was able to find refurbished. So far, I love it! Here's a shot that I got last week.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/philipburg/SDhLM-SRWiI/AAAAAAAAA-k/ikZy3OdXGU4/s800/_MG_3995web.jpg
Rebel Xt | 24-105 @92mm | f/5 | ISO 200 | 1/125sec. | HH
Please be brutal!!!

[Robert O'Toole]

Nice soft light and image looks nice and sharp. I would crop from the bottom to get rid of the black section and maybe a little from the left to get rid of some of the dead space. Good job getting the leaf and the bloom on the same plane.

I like the 24-105 also, but I never used it for close ups though!

I think the lens is better as a refurb, the early samples had problems with internal baffling.

Robert

[Desmond Chan]

This's probably very subjective, but I would darken the background a bit. Well, actually there's no other reason than I prefer not to show the ground too much :) I would crop even more than Robert suggested, too :D

[Ed Vatza]

I really like this violet. I made many images of this violet a little earlier in the spring. I think you need to be able to move in closer to the flower. Now you may have already been at the minimum focusing distance for that lens. If I may make a suggestion. If you are interested in close-ups with that lens, consider picking up a Canon 250D or 500D close-up filter/lens. I have a 500D that I use with my 70-200 f/2.8L IS and I think it does a real nice job. If you check out my daisy images further down the page, you will see what the close-up filter/lens can do. I call it a filter/lens because it is technically a lens but really looks more like a filter that screws in to the front of the lens you are using.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Paul, good details on the flower and the front leaf. I would do a slight crop as Robert suggested. Well done.

[Bob Allen]

I'd do a harder crop off of the top, right, & bottom to eliminate most of the bg. The dark black spot at the tip of the upper right leaf is distracting. Violet petals are shiny and easily overexp; the top left petal is a little hot on my monitor.