Title: Iris Macro 2
​Photographer: Rob Nardino





I was trying to take macro photos of the irises that just bloomed in our front yard.  I wanted only some of it in focus, so it would have an abstract feel to it.  I’ve cropped it different ways, and would love to have input about the two versions here.  Offset in-focus elements would adhere to traditional compositional rules, but the background on right is a little less blurred than I would like (I guess I could play around in Photoshop) where as the more centrally placed one could be viewed as more static but I think it appeals to me a little more.

Title: Blue Jay
Photographer: Janet Rathbun

I took this photo of a Blue Jay at my peanut feeder in my backyard after 5 pm. My camera settings were 300 mm focal length, with crop factor 450 mm, f/9, 1/500, ISO 400. I was trying to capture the texture of the feathers and sharpness of the bird, particularly the eye. I was also attracted to the blue color of the bird.
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