Bud with Dewdrop

[Anita Rakestraw]

Playing a bit with my extension tubes, which I'm finding are a whole new ballgame for me! I don't know what this flower is called, and I don't remember which of the extension tubes I was using. :confused: This is already a huge crop but it probably has too much background, huh? Any suggestions and comments very welcome!

Oh, almost forgot to mention, I added a little more blur in postprocessing.

8/17/08, 3:53 p.m.
1DMkIII, 100 macro with extension tubes
ISO 400, 1/160, f/2.8, EV -1.6

[Ed Vatza]

Hi Anita,

I am going to post a similar image a little later this evening (must wait for my 24 hours to be up! ;)). Now my flower may have been bigger but using my Sigma 150mm Macro with a 1.4x TC and a 20mm tube, I more than filled the frame.

Could you have gotten closer and still focused? That would have cut out some of the extraneous background as well as a few of the excess buds. I should add that I really like the way this bud pops from the surrounding oof ones! Very nice.

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Anita,
Your bud and water droplet are placed just right in the frame. I like the composition. You probably used a 20mm, or a 25mm extension tube...good show...:cool:

[Kaushik Balakumar]

Lovely image - a creative one. Personally, I don't mind the smaller proportion of the drop. However, I see some posterization on top-right-corner of the image. Will look fwd to Ed's image... that wud also be an interesting composition.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Anita, I always like to see photogs experimenting with abstracts like this. If it were mine I would show less of the BG on the left and bottom.

[Julie Kenward]

Just a really lovely image, Anita! I agree with Mike on the crop...shave a bit off the side on the left and about a third off the bottom. It's really lovely as is but that drop will really stand out with a tighter crop.

[Anita Rakestraw]

I appreciate everyone's comments very much. Agree about the crop. Each bud on this plant's stalk full of flowers is maybe 1/16" in diameter, so I'm not sure how much larger in the frame I can get it if I shoot it properly using this lens and all the extension tubes. I have alot of learning to do with extension tubes!!!! :0 :( :p I need to get some objects and practice in the house, until I get a working knowledge of what can be done with them combined with different f/stops, etc. It's hard to get much practice outside because we hardly ever have a day without wind or at least breezes. Should be fun practice though! Thanks again, and I look forward to seeing Ed's image too!

[D. Robert Franz]

Love the use of DOF here. Well done.....

[Anita Rakestraw]

Thanks, D. Robert!