Blurred flowers !!!

[ronners]

It seems that every time I see a close-up of a flower on this site it just doesn't have adequate depth of field. Plenty of sharp stamens, but it's very rare to see a petal sharp from front to back.

You guys find so many beautiful flowers - but please try to experiment with manual aperture settings if at all possible. I'm guessing that the more automated cameras are partly to blame for a plethora or unnecessary f/2.8 and f/4 shots, but as the photographer you have to remember that when attempting to lose background detail you may also lose detail in your main subject.

Arghhh!!!

[CedarBough]

If you ask my opinion I don't want to see flowers on Trek Earth unless they are

1. in a landscape which transports me to a location (Trekking the Earth)
2. very unusual and highly unlikely for me to ever see them unless I am Trekking the Earth somewhere most people never get a chance to go.

Trek Earth is not an appropriate place for flower close-ups unless they meet my second criteria, in my humble opinion. Flower close-ups will be welcomed on many photo sites, though, so I hope that if that is someones main subject they get a chance to post them on a site where they belong!

[AdrianW]

Personally I like flower shots, but they should be of things that are specific to a location - just as people shots are special because they're buddhist monks (people occur everywhere on the planet afterall), flowers can be special if they're only endemic to (say) Madagascar.

[mdchachi]

I think most of the flower shots belong here as long as they are representative of the location. I probably wouldn't upload a shot of a Madasgcar flower if I took it in a botanical garden in Ohio though. But then again I might -- it still represents what you can see at the place in Ohio.

CedarBough's criteria of unusualness is hard because what is exotic to me may be an everyday flower to somebody else.

[Porteplume]

Bonjour tout le monde,

I have set two pictures of tulips last evening because on my island (South West of Netherlands) the fields begin to be filled with the tulips which are planted for production of the export bulbs. I should think it's a very typical aspect of the region I live. I got a big bunch of them, I haven't found opportunity to photograph the fields myself, maybe soon this week...

About Cedar giving comments about what should be on this site: I have seen some -very good- portraits of her friends in the past. I thought it wasn't "an appropriate place for it" either, but nobody made bad comments about it because they were just nice...
I see every day portraits of monks on here, I even said once -just kidding- I began to get tired of them! ;-) Don't forget that not everybody has the opportunity to travel like you do/did.

Amicalement - Viviane

[sita4ram]

I agree with you all. I mean there are way too many flowers and family memebers etc shots here. but some of them are of such good quality (like your first tulips shot Porteplume) and are of interest.
Im not in favour of submitting personal stuff here, like - 'my dog', 'my room' and so on, unless(!) its a masterpiece or has been taken in unique circumstances.

[adam]

"I mean there are way too many flowers and family memebers etc shots here."

Well, flower shots maybe, but I don't believe there are many family member shots here. Uploading such images is generally discouraged.

[Bayleaf]

Photographing flowers is something that many people enjoy doing, myself included. If when travelling an opportunity to photograph a flower arises, many people with take it. I believe that photos of flowers belong here as much as any other shot, just so that it gives a person an idea of what kind of flowers can be shot in which locations at what time of the year.
Take my photo...
http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/photo1595.htm
... for example. I personally think it's a great shot, but you would not be able to take one like it in many places. My providing when and where I took it might encourage others to go to this park at the same time of year.

[mdchachi]

There you go shamelessly trying to drum up hits on your picture. ;-)

Oh, yeah, well take a look at MY flower shot.
<a href="http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Malaysia/photo102.htm">http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Malaysia/photo102.htm</a>

8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-) 8-)

[Porteplume]

Don't be ashame Mike! ;-)))
This site is meant to show your/our work and I discover every day I have missed a shot like Martin's one or yours. That's why I like people pointing out a great photo & the "turning" pictures on the Main Page of TrekEarth.

Amicalement - Viviane

[kckuddes]

Well since I have posted 5 flowers on TrekEarth. I will try to layout my case. When I travel I love nature, which means I will burn through a 256 MB CF for a pair of ducks. I also love going to Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. These sights are always on writen up in the travel books and guide books. So I figured that they were fair game for this site.

And not be out done by Martin or Mike:

http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/photo3670.htm

[BobTrips]

Put them in a context that makes them relative.

Flowers have everything to do with travel and with the world. Many of us delight in flowers that we see while traveling. (I put up a whole pBase gallery just of shots taken in the Chiang Mai flower market. Just try telling me that's not travel related. ;o)

Same goes for pictures of windows, rocks, floor tile, car doors, and all that other stuff that isn't the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal.

[sita4ram]

I dont think the remark about flowers has to do with ppl who come across a beautiful field, special place, or an interesting plant.
for example, look at Leo's work. he posts lots of nature wonderful shots, and they are perfectly great (well, you can also tell by the numerous good critics he gets).
the flowers remark is general for shots that have no characteristic context, interesting point, or at least form a good shot.
still - those are indevidual measurements, so its really hard to set rules.