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Wildflowers

John_SD
Whiz

One of the things I love about outdoor photography is no two days are quite alike and every time I go out, I learn something new. This past weekend we were out in the desert shooting wildflowers, a more challenging subject than I expected. I came away with a lot of shots I was happy with but a lot more that I wasn't happy with. I review my bad shots at the end of the day and think about what I could have done to have made them better -- poor compositon, improper focus or shutter speed issues are the main culprits -- then I delete them.

 

I made several mistakes. I didn't always position myself so that the sensor was paralell to the plane of the flower I was shooting. While I was mostly in Av so as to control depth of field, on several shots I shot in Tv and used shutter speeds that were too slow -- sometimes as slow as 1/60, which was not even close to what I needed, with the breeze making the blossoms flutter in the wind. My better shots came in at 1/200 and above. The other factor that contributes to out of focus shots is I was bending over and hand-holding the camera, trying to fill the frame with a nice sharp blossm with an out-of-focus background. Camera shake ruined several shots. 

 

So, next time I'm taking my tripod and my 75-300mm (I was shooting with an 18-55mm). That telephoto lens is going to be an issue, I think, because specs say its minimum focus distance is 4.9 feet. I've been told that 5 feet or LESS is best for using a telephoto on wildflowers.

 

What lens would you suggest for wildflowers?

6 REPLIES 6

keithf
Apprentice

I would look in to the Canon 24-105. Not only a great walk around, but inincororates the Macro feature, which on a tripod would be great for shooting flowers. I would shoot at f/4 for a shallower DOF. Also, the closer to your subject, the shallower your DOF. If you need more then increase it up to f/22.

 

Keith

ebiggs1
Legend
Legend

"I would look in to the Canon 24-105."

 

I second that suggestion.  The best buy in a real deal "L" lens.  If all you have are the kit lenses, this is a great upgrade.

However, the best lenses you can own for 95% of whatever you want to shoot are the fantastic duo ef 24-70mm f2.8L along with its big brother the ef 70-200mm f2.5L.  These two are not cheap but they are life long friends.  

 

But what lens is best?  Check out these shots.........

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All done with a Powershot G15.  Smiley Happy

 

"... other factor that contributes to out of focus shots ... with an out-of-focus background. Camera shake ruined several shots."

 

Yeah man I hear ya.  OOF and camera motion is a tough one but the best thing I can suggest you get and use is a good post editor.  Great shots are made in post, not in the camera.  Get one and learn how to use it.  You will be glad you did.

 

 

 

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Thanks for the tips, guys, and great shots there ebiggs. i was stunned when I got to the end and saw you shot it with a Powershot G15. Post-processing, I am getting in to Canon's DPP software and like it so far. I suspect at some point I'll move on to Lightroom. 

 

I checked out the Canon refurbished lenses and saw this 24-105mm L for $599.99. B&H and other outlets sell it new for $999, so refurbished offers a substantial savings. I'll talk to my CFO (wife) tonight about it, as I never make a purchase like this without approval. 

 

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/ef-24-105mm-f-4l-is-usm-refurbished

"...I never make a purchase like this without approval."

 

Smart man !  Smiley Wink  Happy wife, happy life.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!


@ebiggs1 wrote:

"...I never make a purchase like this without approval."

 

Smart man !  Smiley Wink  Happy wife, happy life.


I've said this before, and I'll probably have occasion to mention it again: The way it works best is if your wife is a photographer too!

 

A couple of years after we're married, my wife's old Sears & Roebuck 35mm cashes in.

Bob:  What kind of camera do you want to replace it?

Martha:  One that can use your lenses.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA


@RobertTheFat wrote:

@ebiggs1 wrote:

"...I never make a purchase like this without approval."

 

Smart man !  Smiley Wink  Happy wife, happy life.


I've said this before, and I'll probably have occasion to mention it again: The way it works best is if your wife is a photographer too!

 

A couple of years after we're married, my wife's old Sears & Roebuck 35mm cashes in.

Bob:  What kind of camera do you want to replace it?

Martha:  One that can use your lenses.


I'm going to have to convince my wife that she needs a new hobby 🙂

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