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Creative garden photography

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  • That butterfly shot is just fantastic, @Fire!
  • rowlandscastle444rowlandscastle444 Posts: 2,612
    edited September 2023
    I think black and white photos force the eye to see details that it would overlook in colour versions.

  • @rowlandscastle444 BW certainly helps but ideally it would be better to also have a shallower depth of field. Can you do that on your phone or camera?
  • @rowlandscastle444 BW certainly helps but ideally it would be better to also have a shallower depth of field. Can you do that on your phone or camera?
    Do you mean so as not to include the gravel, for example, @NormandyLiz ?
  • @rowlandscastle444 Depth of field is how far in front or behind the subject is in focus. With a camera, it's determined by the aperture setting on the lens, which is how wide open it is. Rather than repeat what others have said better, this explains it.

    In other words, on your shot, the gravel's still there but it's blurred so it doesn't demand so much attention. 

    Depending on the phone, you can sometimes achieve something of the same effect with a phone camera. I have a Samsung with what they call 'portrait' mode (which is heaps better than the rubbish macro mode). It allows you to pick your subject and then choose the extent to which the rest is blurred. These are on my phone so you can see the difference

    On the first, you read the writing all the way back and your eye isn't guided as to where to look




    This is then with the full blur effect strength. The front is in focus and it becomes increasingly blurred as you go back. You eye hardly looks beyond the first two pots.



    Not my most artistic shots but I thought that would show you the difference easily.

    It's worth exploring the settings on your phone and see what it can do. Or have your got your camera out?
  • Hi @NormandyLiz
    Thank you for your explanation. I was using my phone on this occasion, as I happened to be out and about. 
    Yes, I really ought to experiment with my phone. Thank you for taking the time.
  • You're welcome  :)
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