I love taking pictures of flowers. They are such a great place to start for beginner photographers. There is so much opportunity for color, composition, contrast, and the subject isn't usually moving. But after taking photos of so many flowers, the compositions of my photos can start to blend together. The easiest method is to center the flower, set a fairly closed aperture, and take the picture. But that gets boring quickly.
In this photo, I used the other parts of the plant to frame the central rose with a wide open aperture. This narrowed the depth of field to just enough to have the petals in focus of the flower that I want the eye to go to. I also placed the flower in the center of the composition, which is a very basic move. But combined with the layering of leaves and other flowers, the central composition doesn't feel as static.
Also the light hits the flower inconsistently, giving even more of an impression that the viewer is peeking in at this rose. Then the background falls to shadow, which isolates the flower and makes it stand out more.
Spring in Ashland, Oregon is such a beautiful time of year. The flowers are blooming everywhere and provide for endless, basic content to work with. I look forward to catching spring on camera again this year.
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