My first upload at NPN! Happy to join this community. This is one of my first images after buying my first dedicated macro lens. I was suprised how many interesting things you can find even in the winter.
Specific Feedback Requested
I am interested in overall feedback. Composition, processing, and especially whether the lack of depth of field works. I found that I like experimenting with a macro lens, but I don’t like focus stacking. So I am still trying to learn how much depth of field is enough for close intimate scenes.
Technical Details
It was taken with a 100mm macro lens at f2.8 at 1/200 second.
Hi Nedyalko – Welcome to NPN! This is a really lovely photo and shows off how a macro lens can open up all sorts of opportunities for photography.
I think the composition works well and that the depth of field is perfectly fine. When I work with similar subjects, I want something interesting in focus and then am happy to have the rest of the scene fall to softness. I get critical comments about the shallow depth of field that I use from traditionalist macro photographers but don’t care at all because I like the results. So, my answer to your question of how much depth of field do you need is often very, very little. As long as there are visually interesting things in the frame, the focus doesn’t matter that much. And shallow depth of field lets you hide all sorts of things, opening up even more interesting opportunities with a wide variety of subjects.
My only critique here is that I might flip the photo horizontally so it flows from left to right, and I would probably brighten the darker tones on the upper edge so that the upper left corner has a light, bright feel. Otherwise, this is a beauty!
Welcome and congrats on your first post! I tend to be a rule breaker and like seeing others’ interpretations of what they see. For me, this has so much softness and mystery. I think it’s a kewl take on a moment.
Very nice Nedyalko. My favourite type of macro shot…tight and narrow DOF…usually necessary, very deliberately placed, and often criticised. As long as the composition works with the narrow DOF as as Sarah points out, a well placed shallow DOF is, to me, lovely and enhances the feeling in a macro image. You’ve got it here, lovely. Cheers.
