Which photo to choose

[ranunkel]

I took some photos of some roses in my garden, but I can't make up my mind which photo to choose for my next study.

If any of you knows any thing about taking photos, and how to improve them I would be happy to get some help. I would like to use the photos to draw and paint from!

I am not sure of the lightning in the photos? Are there enough contrast to make them good photos to paint from?

My camera is a Samsung 3.2 mega pixels, digimax 350 SE. It's not a new camera and I can't afford to buy a better right now so it will have to do for now.

[Katherine T]

Marianne - I notice that in the pics you've uploaded one is well focused but that the others seem a little out of focus. That maybe because of the distance you were shooting at or because of handshake.

One of the best things you can do if you want to take better photos is invest in a tripod which need not cost a lot of money. This tends to remove virtually all of the hand shake problem which can underline pics. A very young friend of mine starting using a tripod recently for her photos and cannot believe the improvement she's got in the quality as a result.

My personal solution was to buy a camera which has got a really excellent inbuilt mechanism which reduces the 'shake' element and I never ever get any as a result - even when I'm overbalancing because I'm trying to take the photo from the best angle! .

[C_Line]

I like the third or fourth one best for values variation and form.

[Pluma]

I can almost smell these roses!--I agree that the third or fourth are best, but I love that bee in the second one.
Pluma.

[ranunkel]

I hadn't thought about using a tripod that is an good idea.
Just phoned my sister and she got one I can buy

That would also make it possible for me to set up the camera, and take many photos during the day to captur the best light.

[Andee]

Marianne - wonderful roses! It looks to me as if you're trying to get too close when taking the photo. On most of your photos the area behind the blossom is in focus, whereas the blossom is out of focus. I don't think handshake is the problem with these. You could try shooting from a slightly larger distance, then crop. Or maybe your camera has a macro function (usually indicated by a small flower-icon somewhere) which you could try out. Another question is, do you use auto focus, and if so, is there a way to set your focus manually?

As for light and contrast, you can always try to tweak them afterwards with some photo software.

I look forward to seeing your next shots!

[ranunkel]

It looks to me as if you're trying to get too close when taking the photo

I hadn't thought about that either LOL

The default Focus mode is an auto focus mode ( mountain icon)
The camera also have Focus Macro (flower icon)
I use the flower icon when I shoot flowers, but now that I read the manual I learned that I should use a tripod when I use the macro.

So next time I try to shoot flowers I will keep more distance and use tripod.

The camera has 3x optical zoom, and 2x digital zoom, but I did'nt use any kind of zoom.
Actually I never used zoom, so perhaps I should also read about that.. lol

I like the last flower so I used Corel paint to lighten it.


Also used corel paint on the next two photos.

[Artist_by_Accident]

You have some lovely roses! I'm not sure about the tweaking you can do in Corel Paint (is that Corel's Paint Shop Pro or Corel Painter or something else all together?) If it's Paint Shop Pro, there's a feature that let's you adjust contrast and other features that increase saturation, for instance. If you have Paint Shop Pro, you might want to look online for tutorials that will explain how to use the different features. Or, if it's something specific, let us know the version of your software & I'm sure one of us can help you.

ABA

[Charlie's Mum]

Marianne - I'm not a photographer either - but one of my best investments was a tripod! Only a few ££ GB - well worth it ... for photographing the painting too!

Did you see my link in Greenies' about the banner?

[ranunkel]

If you compare the color photo and the grey scaled photo I made, you can see that there isn't enough contrast in the photo to make a good painting.
Or what do you think?

[Katherine T]

greyscaling an image is a great way of checking a reference source out before starting - and in this instance I think you're right there's not enough contrast. However low key paintings can also be very nice.

There's nothing to stop you working with the photo and adapting it.

[ranunkel]

I did a quick sketch of rose no 5.
The size of the sketch is 23cm x 20cm (9.1 in x 7.9 in)
Paper 135 G/m2 sketch paper
Pencils: hb, 2b and 4b

I am not sure if I should start a new thread for this?
I decided to do a lot of sketches of roses to get better at drawing them for a start.