Shell

[Ian Cassell]

Canon 30D
Sigma 100-300mm f/4 @ 208mm
1/500sec f/5.6 ISO 400

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ian,
Given the lens you used I do wish you had gone out the last 100mm to focus more on the shell. You could have kept the same/similar comp yet eliminated some of the distracting BG elements.......which brings me to an interesting point....most times in macro....if I have the time with my subject....flowers, mushrooms, shells, etc......things that aren't going anywhere....I spend more time policing/cleaning up the area than I do actually taking the image. I'm not saying make it perfect....but those couple of black strands around the shell....gone! Less PP'ing work I have to do. As presented, I like the angle you have on the shell but I would crop all around.....bottom to where the sand gets sharp....proportional off the R....top where it eliminates all the BG stuff/specs and proportionally off the left.....all could have been done in camera with the extra 100mm! Then just clean up the top 2 black strands at the least......it will then be stronger IMO.

[Julie Kenward]

Roman said what I was thinking - tighter crop and cleaner BG. I do like the texture of the sand against the texture of the shell and don't mind the angle but I think even lower to the ground would make the viewer 'connect' more with the shell IMO.

[Ken Childs]

Roman said what I was thinking - tighter crop and cleaner BG. I do like the texture of the sand against the texture of the shell and don't mind the angle but I think even lower to the ground would make the viewer 'connect' more with the shell IMO.

I was thinking just the opposite. I'd like to see this shot from straight above, possibly from farther away, with a smaller aperture so the shell and all the textures in the sand would be in focus.

[Ian Cassell]

Thanks, folks. Actually, I did have a couple with the shell up-close, but I preferred the shell on the BG of sand-texture. I agree, I should have cleaned up the little bits of seaweed and gotten rid of the OOF FG. You make a good point, Roman, about cleaning up before to avoid it later (a lesson I am constantly teaching my kids in other contexts ;)).

[Roman Kurywczak]

......You make a good point, Roman, about cleaning up before to avoid it later (a lesson I am constantly teaching my kids in other contexts ;)).

See.....I have 2 teenage sons!!!.....so I am all too familiar with those lessons!

[Ian Cassell]

LOL I have twin 13 year olds!