Dave Butcher
New member
I just noticed this thread. You are tackling a very difficult genre of photography Dave. Still Life. At least you have someone in Maggie who is masterful at the type of subject matter you are pursuing.
I am going to agree with Maggie on the one area of getting back to learning and mastering some camera technique basics. The primary one that you have issues with in all of the above photos - is focus. It will not matter one bit how nicely you have framed, composed and lit your image, if the focus is not in the right spot and with the right amount of focus.
All focus is on the stems and leaves - way behind the colourful flower and fruit. I suspect that you may be using a center focus point on your camer to attain focus and it is selecting the area in the middle when the flower is to the edge. Or it may be that you are using that point and prefocusing on the flower and then recomposing. Either way will not work with this subject matter. And attempting to fix focus in Photoshop will not make the image better. If it takes learning to Manual Focus if you aren't able to get a handle on the Auto Focus - then that may be what is required.
The second part of Focus, is selecting an appropriate Aperture setting to allow enough depth of field so that the subject will be properly in focus. Thecloser your camera is to the subject, the smaller aperture setting is needed to say have focus on the flower from front to back - letting the stem and leaves fall out of range. Surprising to sone is thst this may require f16 or higher a number depending on the situation. So when you are using natural light, this will create is issues with slow shutter speeds so that a tripod is needed.
Keep on working at what your project here is - but it will take a bit to master - and any mastery requires getting basic camera settings roght first, and then you can start controling the light and then the set and then the positioning. Looking at a great simple still life image, always looks like anyone can do it. I suppose anyone can. But only with some effort. Learning to see is a great start.
And at this point I don't think you're seeing what Maggie has mentioned from your first post related to focus issues. I think you've gotten lost in trying to change all of the other things - but each image goes back to focus. All the best.
Thank you Robert. Your very right on the mark just like Maggie is. Although my camera has a Manual mode on it it does not allow for Manual Focus. In manual mode it allows me three or four basic adjustments (F stop, ISO, and I believe it is shutter speed).
On the Auto Focus settings I have three choices:
1. Single AF
2. Multi AF
3. Object Tracking.
I have tried all three and get basically the same result. And in some cases the focus is even worse. On my cell phone I have only one option and that is basically object tracking. I hope to have this issue resolved in the next few days.
I plan on sitting down with the tutorial that Maggie sent me on my day off tomorrow and going through it with a fine tooth comb and learning everything that I can from it. And then I will read it again and again. I look at Asher's works and see a Master, I look at Maggie's works and see a Master, and I look at your works and see a Master. And that is what I want to be is a Artist and a Master of what I enjoy. And getting back to basics like you, Asher, and Maggie have said is the first step. Like I have been told by my wife time and time again baby steps. Take baby steps and that is what I am doing.
I hope that this all makes sense.