This challenge is about controlling the background blur or “Bokeh” in your images. This is a great technique especially for macro photography. Click here for a tutorial on background control in flower macro photography. The principles outlined in the tutorial apply to all kinds of photography. Try any strong foreground subject and think about aperture and a nice out-of-focus background.
Please upload images no larger than 1600 pixels wide or 1050 pixels high.
small white wild flower, ISO 200 f3 1/250
wild rose ISO 200 105mm f3 1/500
Zoo, waterlily
Histogram normalized and brightness adjusted.
Dreamy Rose. I went out early this morning to the West Bowmont Ponds, on the path where the old Fournier place used to be. I had my new 50mm f/1.8 lens with a 10mm extension tube. I wanted to replicate some of Dirk Ercken’s dreamy flowers with out-of-focus bokeh background. There was a slight breeze and the flowers were moving slowly. I used servo-backbutton focusing and burst mode to hedge my bets. This really seems to work, you get at least one or two images out of 10 with the right focus.
Different aspect ratio, brightness, highlights and whites sliders adjusted. Contrast turned down, histogram normalized.
Inglewood – Gaillardia with bee. FL 400mm, F8, S1/2500, ISO 1250, Auto WB, Center Weighted Metering. I didn’t want to get too close.
Really a ‘golden hour’. Shot July 10 at a quarter to nine in the evening. f/2.8, 1/500 sec., ISO 100 at 190 mm
I suppose one may call this ‘dusk’ flower photography. Literally shooting at dusk, and up to shortly before it gets dark. I came across this technique by accident some years ago. The flowers generally being bright colours absorb the last of the light while the surrounding growth less so thereby producing an effect as if the flowers are being illuminated artificially. One needs a tripod and, suffer for the art. Even though I was fully prepared, loose clothing, hat, neck scarf, plastic gloves and DEET I am right now scratching, or trying not to, at several mosquito bites. This photo was shot at 10:24 PM on July 10. F/2.8, 1/3 sec., ISO 200 112mm
I should have said, of course, the flowers REFLECT the last of the light.
Went to Griffiths Woods early, just as the sun was catching the flowers. Shot with my 18-55 mm lens at f/4.5, 1/500 sec, ISO 25o.
Still in Griffiths Woods, tried a longer lens, 70-300 mm f/11, 1/200 sec. ISO 250
Black tern in flight at LaFarge Meadows. 600mm, ISO 250, f4, 1/1000 sec. Sharpened in Topaz Photo AI
No that is not bokeh … they are boat mooring buoys floating on the lake in the background. Taken with 300 mm zoom lens, ISO 100, f/4.5, 1/500.
iNaturalist identifies this as a “Sagebrush Mariposa Lily”. Taken with 300 mm zoom lens, ISO 640, f/5.6, 1/800. I know Henri will suggest removing the spider web, but I thought it added some interest/mystery and was worth keeping.
clematis in bloom I took these with a manual nikkor 35mm lens
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I believe this is a Columbine…
f/8, 1/250, iso250
Yes, this is a Columbine, lovely color!
My Star Gazer Lilies opened last night and I have never seen so many blooms. The sun was starting to set, so the light was perfect. I used my 300 lens, macro setting, F5.6, 1/250 sec ISO 800. Only cropped the image.
I have tried many ways to crop this dahlia as it has several options. What would you do to get the best effect of the petals and the background flowers. This was with my 300 lens, AV setting F5, 1/250, ISO 200.
I don’t know what happened by the picture posted on its side. Flower stock should be on my left when looking at the picture.
f/6.3, 1/200, iso100
Fuschia – 1/200 sec @ f/2.8. 100mm, ISO 400.