8.15.2013

orchids (and things I could improve upon)

I'm trying to get better with my photography now that we're all settled in our new house... and what do you know? I took these shots the exact same way I would have a year ago. Boo. :-/ There are definitely some things I could have done differently/better.

Notes to self:
I meant to get a pretty aqua/turquoise background to use against the magenta flowers. (forgot)
Experiment more with depth of field. These are pretty straight on and more bluriness would be pretty.
Shoot thru the flowers, creating a blur in the foreground and focus on a flower in the background.
I thought the black and white would be way cooler. I'm not wow'd. Maybe different processing?
Experiment with backlight. These are front and side lit.
My shots always seem colorful, clean, straightforward and dare I say a bit boring?? I want to try thinking outside the box... haze, blur, something new! Something more creative, not a shot that looks like a stock photo.

Also, I didn't use a black background. I just placed the flowers in the sun and exposed accordingly, causing the background to go dark. (I was actually in a light bedroom with white bedding).

Maybe those thoughts will be helpful to you too! :-) Enjoy the rest of your week! xo

 photo orchid-7600b_zps6a4a453c.jpg

 photo orchid-7621b_zps046be463.jpg

 photo orchid-7637c_zps4e864394.jpg

 photo orchid-7635b_zps35bbb4db.jpg

8 comments:

Andrea said...

I think these are gorgeous, friend!
Crisp, bright color! AMAZING focus! Pretty light.
Just lovely.
And I like the black and white!
I know what you mean about the wanting to do some thing differently though. I've been in a serious rut. (So much so I took down my blog.) I picked up my camera the other day after almost a month...and blah...nothing exciting. Same old same old Andrea photos.
But these! I love them! And they totally don't look like stock photos to me! But I'd love to see you do some of your "notes to self" and post those. :)
Thanks for writing out your thoughts about the process - very helpful for those of us who are about to just give it all up. ;)
xo

Amy H said...

I love that last one! It's so crisp and clear! I'm sort of in a rut too right now -- don't even feel like using my camera at all these days....
Is your new house really light?

Unknown said...

Karli,

These are lovely. And I think your work is amazing. You're an extremely talented photographer. But I know how you feel. I was in that rut last year. That's why I took Lisa's (LongRoadToChina) Push Past Your Comfort Zone class last summer. I was so bored with my images. I wanted to try new things. I'm happy to say that, a year later, I continue to push myself and try new things. I hope you're able to do the same.

Natalie said...

For what it's worth - I'm wowed. These are gorgeous!

Jane said...

Oh wow these are lovely. I like the b/w composition the best. I'm experimenting a bit on b/w too, I seem to like a lot of contrast in the photo. But I like your soft b/w tones too.

Christina @ Life. Home. Projects. said...

I actually really like the drama of the black and white one. I like the idea of shooting through the flowers too.

Gina Kleinworth said...

Don't get discouraged- these are stunning. But it's those things that you see in your shots that make you better- if you didn't pick them apart & overly criticize yourself- you would never feel the drive to improve. (not that you need to at all here) I think they are beautiful & there is so much I could learn from you- I completely understand that wish to push yourself personally for inner growth. Especially when inspired by others. These are stunning- but you are like me- simplistic in our processing- with a classic & untouched feel. It can be fun to sometimes stretch the creativity with doing something a little out of the norm for ourselves with creative processing. I will be looking forward to seeing what you do.

Unknown said...

I think they are gorgeous.