Focus is everything when it comes to flower studies. Just as you might focus on the eyes in a portrait, it can help to think of the central part of a flower in the same way. Here sharpness is exactly where you want it (partly due to an aperture of f/25). What’s more, the light really brings out the waxy texture of the petals.
The lighting is good, the focusing is fine and the scribble of roots at the base of the garlic bulb makes an interesting focal point. The problem here is the level of ISO (3200) which makes the image appear quite noisy (especially in the shadows). In future, it might be best to set the ISO manually (around 200) and use a tripod to allow for the longer shutter speed.
Oil on water is a popular subject, but it can be hard to get right. Here, the balance of circles is great, the colours are beautiful, and the technical execution is brilliant. Studying the work of artists outside of photography (in this case abstract painters) can help to train your eye.
Brief
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**This contest is open to photographers ranked between 1 and 250 in this week’s <a href="https://www.photocrowd.com/photographer-community/">Leaderboard</a>.** Still life and macro photography are natural buddies, and there’s so much fun to be had when you’re exploring a still life subject with your macro lens, filters or extension tubes. There are surprising textures, shapes and compositions everywhere you look, and often rendering the subject difficult to identify, such is the ability to change how something appears when it is shot close-up.
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