Is this focal plane too narrow?

[N_N_Nikmat]

Hello all

After admiring the quality and freedom of expression on this discussion forum I have decided I would like to take a humble plunge into these waters.  As for myself, I have been an interested enthusiast in photography for a few years however this has crystallised into more of a passion since I bought a Sony a7r2 about 14 months ago.

I have occasionally submitted photos on DPReview and I have found I've learnt a lot from the wisdom of others, however what I need more is honest critique rather than just a pat on the back (although I like a pat on the back just as much as everyone else!).

I am unsure when I should post photos here or in "Without Prejudice 2".  Please enlighten me.

Thanks!

Sony a7r2 + Tokina AT-X 90mm @f2.5

[Tony Jay]

Hi, welcome to Luminous Landscape!

Interesting image that you have posted.
There is no one answer to your question about depth of field.
It depends entirely on your goals:
If you wished for the whole caterpillar to be in focus then it probably counts as a failure;
If, however, your goal was to get the head and eyes in focus and allow the rest of the caterpillar to fade gracefully from focus then you have succeeded!

FWIW I think it looks fine and that lens seems to produce a good bokeh.

Tony Jay

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I personally find it much more interesting than I think I would if it were all in sharp focus.
It is a fascinating image, almost abstract (which I like)

And this is the right thread to pot in if you want suggestions or comments. The "Without Prejudice 2" thread is for images that you just want to share, without asking for any critiique.

And welcome to LuLa.

[John R]

I would describe your shot as an "artistic" rendition of a natural subject. It's quite good. It is very difficult to do much more than that at F2.5. I can say that if you were to submit this image into a nature competition it would not do well. The point in such a competition is to depict nature accurately and tell a story. Blur is acceptable but must be minimal and not part of the central focus. Seascapes and waterfalls also do not do well because they are often full of blur. But as a pictorial, your image is wonderful.

JR

[N_N_Nikmat]

Thanks for your thoughts.

I'll take them onboard.

[GrahamBy]

Just a note: the "without prejudice" thread is where you post if you don't want criticism. The "prima donna" thread, according to some

[Rob C]

Hello all

After admiring the quality and freedom of expression on this discussion forum I have decided I would like to take a humble plunge into these waters.  As for myself, I have been an interested enthusiast in photography for a few years however this has crystallised into more of a passion since I bought a Sony a7r2 about 14 months ago.

I have occasionally submitted photos on DPReview and I have found I've learnt a lot from the wisdom of others, however what I need more is honest critique rather than just a pat on the back (although I like a pat on the back just as much as everyone else!).

I am unsure when I should post photos here or in "Without Prejudice 2".  Please enlighten me.

Thanks!

Sony a7r2 + Tokina AT-X 90mm @f2.5

Yes, welcome to LuLa!

Without Prejudice was started by myself some years ago precisely because of the wish to have no "critic" adding second-guesses to my efforts. It turned out that many other people had enough confidence in themselves to feel exactly the same way, too.

Now, that stated, the intention was never to exclude comment of other sorts; sometimes folks discover that they have shot something very similar or, perhaps, just like a style or idea they find interesting and then discourse flows from that. It's certainly not intended as some sort of elitist space at all: who would determine who was elite?

On the other matter, that of critique or comment on your own work, my position here is fairly clear: I believe in a person developing in his own way. I think that you get a far better idea of who you imagine yourself to be simply by spending a lot of time looking at pictures, not listening to opinions, my own included. Other people only confuse. It becomes fairly obvious early on the sorts of pictures that get your attention. When you discover what those are, you know where to focus your own efforts. It's not difficut to find shots that make you feel that you wish they had been yours. That reveals your own inclinations, and as you can never be anyone else, I'd suggest just follow your instincts and go to where the happiness lies. Why else do photography?

For anyone wanting help on the technical side, this site is a fantastic resource and there are experts in all the dfferent slots who are very kind, generous and willing to extend their expertise to others. You only have to ask them.

Best wishes!

Rob C

[brandtb]

Michael Reichmann the founder of Luminous Landscape originally designated this forum group as "User Critiques: A place for reasoned and civilized discussion about user submitted photographs" i.e. a place where one can submit images for critique by others. Critique being generally a detailed analysis, evaluation, or assessment of something. This forum group certainly seems as though it fits with your interest - and it can be very useful as such.

I think as your image goes there can be a number of approaches as with anything. One is the opposite of this where one is shooting with a macro rail e.g., getting every plane sharp like for a science project or similar. Your approach is taking on a few of the aspects of the subject(s) and is quite wonderful in many respects. First, the focus of attention is on the fields of color and in particular the complimentary colors of purple and the pale yellow - compliments can be very powerful in image making generally. Second, the subject is about softness - both subject shape, but also in and in gradation of tone and color. I think this is very successful generally speaking. It's nice how the sharpness of the head fades into this softness as well. It is difficult to tell from this file how much of the head of the insect is in focus or not - I probably would have shot a few frames at some higher stops - or changed the focus area slightly to get some adjacent areas in focus  - all that to say I would like to see a little more sharpness in front of the head. It's also useful to have some other frames with higher stops in case you want to blend in some more focus/sharpness. I typically do this when shooting something like this.