Hollyhock (genus Alcea) in our next-door neighbor's yard by the street. I did shoot "into" some open blooms, but that's a bit too pedestrian. I have been fascinated by some shots of others where the field of focus is very flat or shallow and the only thing really in focus is the top edges of bloom before it fully opens. I have an inkling how to do that now (though this isn't it)!
Retired economics professor (“dismal scientist”). Married 40+ years to the love of my life; we have two grown daughters, both married, two granddaughters and a...
This is COOL! LIke a piece of candy, you first think! Or swirling lip gloss rub. I love this. I think the way I'd do the thing you are saying (very shallow dof so only top is focused) is to set the f stop on lowest setting like 5.6 or it will go lower on other shutter and iso settings I think...I am still just learning all of that and learn by trial and error. When you lower your f stop though, then less light comes in the camera and your photo will be darker, so you have to change to a slower shutter speed or a higher ISO...I think!
@definitelydeb Indeed, God does! (Trying to avoid a gender issue there!)
@espyetta The way I discovered it today was with a longer lens. Hmm. Now that I think about it, it's no wonder that fixed-focal-length portrait lenses are about 100mm… It's quite a bit bulkier, but I may just have to leave my 55-250mm lens on my camera for a few days and experiment. I got a great shot of a doctoral student friend the other day, but there was one distracting object in the background: not blurred enough. But with a longer lens…
@espyetta Yeah, same camera! :) And weren't you a bit intimidated by it at first? I seem to recall a post of the kit still in the box(es)... Or am I having a[nother] senior moment?
![Sigh. [Travel-day]](https://media.365project.org/1/9428160_bfilmqru48_sq.jpg "Sigh. [Travel-day]")
![The Tinkerer [SOOC]](https://media.365project.org/1/9428628_ceghprwx59_sq.jpg "The Tinkerer [SOOC]")
![ER selfie [Travel day]](https://media.365project.org/1/9429058_cfhjkrwx05_sq.jpg "ER selfie [Travel day]")
@espyetta The way I discovered it today was with a longer lens. Hmm. Now that I think about it, it's no wonder that fixed-focal-length portrait lenses are about 100mm… It's quite a bit bulkier, but I may just have to leave my 55-250mm lens on my camera for a few days and experiment. I got a great shot of a doctoral student friend the other day, but there was one distracting object in the background: not blurred enough. But with a longer lens…