The lowly dandelion, a weed and lawn invader for most people, can be a beautiful subject. When it has just gone to seed, as this one, it becomes a soft, spherical, multi-faceted beauty.
My preference for most flower photography, whether macro or not, is shallow depth of field. This provides a feeling of softness, allowing just the most important areas of the subject to be rendered in sharp focus. In this image I focused on the light areas over the dark center.
There are two reasons for this point of focus. First, because this is a symmetrical subject, the viewer's eye will naturally go to the center so it is logical for that area to be sharp. And second, because I always use autofocus, the light areas over the dark center allowed the autofocus to easily grab onto the subject.
A tip for having the most success with autofocus, regardless of the subject - find an area of the subject you want to be sharp, and then find something in that area that has light tones against dark tones. Autofocus needs contrast, either of color or tone, in order to grab focus accurately. So find a strong line of light against dark, or a light area against a dark area and your autofocus will work much better!
TECH SPECS
1/250 sec at f/2.8, ISO 400. Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS lens on Canon 7D Mark II body. Handheld.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them." --A.A. Milne
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