The lotus effect

[Adrian David]

Water drops on lotus leaf....

Nikon D300
Exposure Time : 1/400 sec
F Number : 10.0
Exposure Program : Aperature Priority
ISO Speed : 200
Metering Mode : Multi Segment
Light Source : Auto
Flash : Flash was not fired
Focal Length : 300.0 mm

[Julie Kenward]

Adrian, I totally see where you were going with this but I think for a macro image you've got way too much foreground going on. You really need to get in there and show off the part that makes the image strong and do away with the OOF FG area. Here is a suggested crop and I also added a round of sharpening to it as the larger drops weren't quite crystal clear (still aren't but I think they're better).

Remember that macro photography is all about getting in close - making that one little thing the entire focus of your photograph. Anything that doesn't add to an image detracts from it - so use a critical eye and crop out anything that doesn't make your focal point stronger or your composition more balanced.

[Adrian David]

Thank you very much, Jules! The image, was not intended to be a macro! The lotus leaf is really big, and the lens I've used was not a macro lens.It was a Nikkor 70-300 VR, and the minimum focus distance is 1,5m. My intention with this image, was to show the fact that the drops of water don't stay on the lotus leaf (the lotus effect)....
I must admit that your cropped version, works much better!!! But, I'm only a beginner, and I'm here to learn....Thank you very much for supporting me!

All the best,
Adrian.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Adrian, I agree with the crop Jules did, as the foreground had to much out of focus going on. You did a real nice job on the focus on the water drops and like the DOF on the BG.

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Adrian, do agree with Julie and Mike that your image needs more attention for the subject (the drops). What I like in the original and which is lost in Julie's repost is those curved veins of the leaf that converge in the UL corner, which really drag you into the image. It's difficult to combine both in the current image by cropping, you need to consider this during the shoot. That has been one of my major learning points since joining the BPN forum: to take just that extra seconds to look at my composition before pressing the shutter button.
- Jerry -