jalenpeno flower
by JustCaree

Comment:
At close range like this, depth of field makes focusing very critical. To me, it looks like focus is good, but either the flower or the camera moved a little. I can see what you were after though.
At this range, I find it useful to focus the lens manually, and then use both hands in the most solid grip position and move in and out slowly with the camera to get the final focus.
You may be able to get sharper shots by using the self timer at 2 seconds or maybe 5 seconds. That will eliminate the big shake that occurs when you squeeze the shutter button. Try looking through the camera at a subject like this with the camera turned off, then simulate a normal shutter button press, and watch carefully how much the camera shakes.

Buzz
by Paul

Comment:
Great timing, and also good use of the long focal length to be able to get this without spooking the bee. It takes a lot of shots to get one this nice of a bee. The focus on the eyes is perfect, not an easy thing at 180 and 3.5.

Missouri Pinecone
by Elaine

Comment:
The dark BG is good for this subject, and the side flash shows the texture in the lower area. Am I reading the data right, 8 second exposure?

IMG_5936
by MikeO

Comment:
Excellent shallow DOF in this, and having the focus on the reflection in the water adds a lot in the way of interesting details.

Pretty in Pink
by Kelli

Comment:
This is a very pretty little flower. I like the edges of the petals and the color of the flower against the very natural looking BG. I also like that you focused on the broadest part of the flower instead of the nearest. In this case that's a good move because it shows off the interior of the flower.

waterdrop 2
by JustCaree

Comment:
I think that it's neat that you got the reflection of the top droplet in the hump at the base of the column. The other light reflections in the water look a lot like clouds, which would be a very cool effect. I think there is a water drops tutorial in that section of DPC. I like this one better than the first because it's sharper.

water drop blue
by JustCaree

Comment:
I have never tried a water drop shot like this, but I do understand that it is a lot more difficult than the images would lead you to believe. You haven't posted anything about your set up for this shot, but I see that you were shooting at f4.5 and 1/60.
To freeze the action better, you may want to try using a smaller aperture, and stronger flash. The smaller aperture will keep ambient light from creating an image, and the flash will freeze the action because the flash duration is only a few milliseconds long. The smaller aperture will give you more depth of field as well.
I commend you on having the patience to do this shot.

macro flower
by MacDonald

Comment:
The strong yellow and brown combination and all lines to the center in the flower make for a very striking image. I am curious about the shooting data on this one. The overall sharpness makes me think that it was shot at f11 or 16.

Potato Cannon!
by glad2badad

Comment:
The powder is a good idea. We will have to try that with the melon musket someday when we want a smokey looking photo.
It takes a big yard to play with a "tater" gun. We have problems finding empty places big enough to launch watermelons 1/2 mile or more.

Conflict 2
by jbsmithana

Comment:
This looks quite a lot like something an artist would draw. It's not often that a wildlife photo has that quality of action and timing. This is nicely presented, and yes, I also see the halo, but as you said, it adds that "touch" that makes this very different.