Awakening Datura - My first post

[Elizabeth Stout]

Hi, my name is Elizabeth. This is my first post on BPN and I am 12. I saw this beautiful flower in my backyard and wanted to practice macro. I took the image hand held standing on a chair.
Nikon D100, 28-105 at 50mm f/7.1 1/60 ISO 800
Post: LR4, and CS6 [my dad helped with the processing]


Advice and critiques welcomed.

[Gary Esman]

Welcome to BPN! A great place to learn to become a nature photographer. A perfect shot for centering. I like straight on like you have here. Nice blurred background with the foliage. Very nice Elizabeth.

Gary.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Again Elizabeth, You must have a steady hand as this is pretty sharp. And as Gary said, the centered composition is perfect here. I love the swirly pattern of the flower. Do you shoot JPEGs or do you use RAW capture?

[Jeff Cashdollar]

Welcome indeed, Gary provided some good comments and this is a nice picture. You have a good eye Elizabeth, the simple beauty of a flower is often overlooked but not by you. The subject is well placed and it is beautiful. Amazing that simple elements can make such a great photograph, please post again.

LR4 and CS6 are solid applications, nicely done.

[Alan Lillich]

Great job holding the focus, especially standing on a chair. It is tough to not wobble back and forth. I too like the three sets of swirls, at the center, the main part of the petals, and the tips. I wonder if adjusting the exposure 1/3 to 1/2 stop lighter would help make the flower more prominent.

[John Chardine]

Hi Elizabeth- I am very impressed with this, and to know you are 12 years old, makes the image even more impressive. I love the colours and the textures here, in particular the way the flower gets more saturated as you move inwards. If you look at the green, darker background you can see graininess or what is called noise. I don't mind it in this case as it gives an old, film-like look to the image but there are ways to get rid of it if you want to. I am really looking forward to seeing more of your images!

[Kerry Perkins]

Hello Elizabeth, sorry I am late in welcoming you but here is a big warm welcome from ETL - I am so happy to see you following the footsteps and posting here and I look forward to seeing lots more from you! You did a really nice job with the capture and I can see that you have inherited a good eye for form and composition. I like the colors and the image has a lot of visual interest. Well done!