Iris on black

[Hazel Grant]

Took this just before a big storm came in so it was rather dark out.

f4, 1/60, iso 200 with flash

Isolated the bloom with black.

slight curves adjustment.
(I know it's small, but posting verticals is a problem because of the required dimensions)

appreciate critique especially re depth of pink

[denise ippolito]

Hazel, I like your composition and the black BG really makes this pop.:)

[Ken Childs]

Hazel, the colors, comp and black bg look good but noise is very prominent which is hurting much of the detail. Also the top right petal looks a bit OOF. Bearded Iris are a deep flower so to get them completely in focus, you should use a smaller aperture than f4. At least f8 or even smaller depending on the lens used.

Please give us more info about the shot. It helps us to give better critiques when we know what camera, lens, software etc was used.

[Hazel Grant]

Thanks. Im not that used to close ups so am venturing there. The flower was outside so keeping it still was a problem, hence the noise. Will work on some way to steady them.

Nikon D40x, DX 18-136mm lens. photoshop software.
Oh, when I checked the data just now I found I'd given you the info for another photo. This one was 4.2 (I'll change that for next shots as you suggested) iso 400 1/320 38mm.

[Julie Kenward]

Good suggestions given by Ken, Hazel. One thing to remember is to expose for the whites - get them right and don't worry about the BG - you can always darken the BG in post-processing. You'll get less noise this way and a cleaner outcome in the end.

[Fabs Forns]

I think the OOF petal is an image killer, in an otherwise nice presentation. Noise is only visible in the greens, did you lighten that part?

[Mike Moats]

Hey Hazel, nice comp, like the diagonal line of the stem, and good details. Flower pops well on the black BG.

[Hazel Grant]

No, I didn't lighten the greens. Au natural there. I think the OOF came from the flower's being outside and in a slight breeze plus the larger f stop. Still working and learning!

[Anita Bower]

I think Iris are difficult to photograph. You received good advice above. Can you cut the flower and bring it inside to photograph near a large window letting in diffused light?