Thanks Carol!
Wow--truly amazing the extent of 'things' that can be done like that who knew?
Thanks for showing the before and after pics.

If it helps any, I am intimidated too. I can barely fathom the whole 'digital darkroom' end of things, still trying to learn how to take the pic in the first place
Encouraged--that's how I am trying to be--as I learn knew things or get better at something I have failed at repeatedly. Mostly though, I'm frustrated. Limitations, ya know, we all have them...

Ann, that is a magnificent photo of that rose!
I hope it does well for you in that ARS contest. You have moved up a level right? Your photos have too

I am no expert on the thing, but, in my experience, if you are going for background bokeh, the guaranteed set up is a long lens, at optimal focal distance from the subject (which is generally as close as the lens will let you be), with the background far enough away from the subject so as not to fall in the focal plane--i.e. that works every time.
like this example

William said:
Example images:


Bokeh. Backlight bleeding through the canopy in my garden. Iris 'Fuori dal Coro'
Nikon D300 + Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR+ 1.7 TC, ISO 200, 1/13 s s, f/11, Tripod, uncropped

Of course, those lenses are big, and heavy, and awkward.

Same principle applies though with the shorter lenses: as close as the lens will let you get will generally give better bokeh and it helps immensely to have the background as far away from the subject as possible.
For example, if you went for just a couple of the individual flowers of the lilac with that 16mm lens you'd probably be more pleased with the bokeh. But, if you wanted the whole inflorescence in focus and still get good background bokeh, a longer lens is the way to go.

I am a big fan of using a shallow DOF to blur the background. And that's probably the best solution when the subject can't be separated from the background it is in, like your fabulous spray in the shrub photo.

Thank you dirt for your kind words! ARS has a calendar contest that I just entered with ten photos, one of them being James Galway. The digital contest deadline is in November so I hope to have some pics that meet the exhibition standards and rules. It's all fun so we'll see what happens.

I believe in the axiom about using the "right tool for the job" but I'm struggling to figure out what the right tool is. I learned that my 80mm macro lens could give me nice results but I'm not sure what would happen if I got the equivalent of William's 300mm lens. Will I get better bokeh and overall better pics? I may have to rent a few different lenses to see the differences. I can barely hold the 80mm up so I'm not sure it's even worth it for me to try something really long!

Ann

Tripods are a pain, but invaluable, as are beanbags on rocks
I have been experimenting all season with a new for me 70-200mm and a monopod, but before that I could not be separated from my 90mm macro--still love that lens! But last year after I broke my foot and couldn't get around, I started playing around with longer lenses and liked it
I got that one for my birthday and it works with the full frame, so I'm doing my best to get to know it.

I hope your foot is better dirt! The foot is so complex that I can imagine it might be rough to recover from a break. I had a hip replacement last year and It's nice to be able to stand and walk pretty normally after years of being compromised. I think I see an improvement in my roses since I was able to take better care of them and subsequently, I have something nicer to photograph.

Ann

Just ran across this thread,chased in by rain , and noticed a post under recent threads
Took me a while to look at all the great photos



taken with olympus tg-5

I think the background IS the photo in this one

AnnKNCalif said:Thank you dirt for your kind words! ARS has a calendar contest that I just entered with ten photos, one of them being James Galway. The digital contest deadline is in November so I hope to have some pics that meet the exhibition standards and rules. It's all fun so we'll see what happens.

I believe in the axiom about using the "right tool for the job" but I'm struggling to figure out what the right tool is. I learned that my 80mm macro lens could give me nice results but I'm not sure what would happen if I got the equivalent of William's 300mm lens. Will I get better bokeh and overall better pics? I may have to rent a few different lenses to see the differences. I can barely hold the 80mm up so I'm not sure it's even worth it for me to try something really long!

Ann

Generally speaking, a longer lens will give you a smoother background... but you may still have to play around a lot to find the optimal angle to get the desired background, as there is no such thing as a free lunch. Importantly a longer lens often allows you to stop down more (use a higher f/number) to get more depth of field on your subject, while still providing a smooth background.

Oh yes! Shadows are great, and Cinda, thanks for reminding me of this pic of mine below!



Natural shadows can be so fleeting. When I happened to see this display while walking my gardens, I literally ran to assemble the gear I needed to capture it. The story is interesting (at least to me) because although it is natural light, it is not a sun (or moon) shadow.

So this is what I first saw that excited me so:

What you are looking at is the east facing side of my garage. It is 10 May 2017, about 6 pm. So it is daytime, but the garden is completely in the sun's shadow. To the east about 35ft. is my neighbor's garage wall, parallel with mine, and facing west. It is a light taupe vinyl siding, and it reflected the early evening sun's rays into my garden. In essence, I was working with the soft light of the "magic time of the day" for photography, but the sun wouldn't set yet for another three hours. And this is why the shadow is softly delineated. No photoshopping here, except cropping (not that there is anything wrong with that... )

Of course, the primo shot would have been the Trillium cuneatum in the foreground with its shadow behind. Alas, it just wasn't possible. I didn't have time to pout about it, and did the best I could with what I had. (and hence the dirty poster board as a backdrop.)

This was truly a rare occurrence, as my neighbor always parks his truck and trailer in front of that taupe garage wall, destroying the reflection. In fact he rarely uses that truck at all. My garden expands out into the yard from the northeast side of my house, and whenever he does move that truck, I quickly start taking garden photos because I won't have worry about his cherry red truck being in the background of the images.

Very interesting, Rick! I would be running for my gear too if I saw that I know all about those neighbor's things getting in the way. The neighbor behind us used to be so junky looking, but things have cleaned up some, so hopefully it won't be so bad this year.

Thank you for that advice William! I was noting that in your iris photo above, the f/11 setting seems like a high number to produce a smooth bokeh but if I'm understanding your explanation, then I'd be very interested in trying a longer lens.

Ann

I was trying to explain that but I didn't do very well

One more day until decision time! I don't envy William's position on making a decision who the winners are. There are a lot of great backgrounds

Not an entry, but one more kind of background: using a double exposure.



circa 1985, Bolsey model B film camera.
Sciadopitys verticillata and conifer garden.

This is my current destop background

that's some pretty awesome fuzzy purple!

It is Mexican sage and puts on quite a display
It also drys well and will keep the color over a year

Cool--is it perennial for you in 5b?

No and it blooms late so I put it in a lg pot and drag it into the greenhouse for some extra bloom-time in the fall .

Bummer--nice you have a greenhouse though!

Rick, I like your double exposure picture. My grandpa was a fantastic photographer and also a great clabber player. One time he set up a card table and camera and did a multiple exposure of himself in each chair so it looked like he was playing clabber against himself. I will have to see if my mom still has that picture.

Cinda, that's is a great desktop background! Nice saturation and dof.