As Per Suggested

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I'm a big fan of cropping out distracting elements in my images.  I do it in-camera as much as possible. If not possible, I don't mind cropping a little post-production.  I also enjoy the "square" format you can often edit if you take the photo properly.

Yesterday I posted two images of some lilies that I have in my mini-garden.  Neither of those two above concepts occurred to me.  Duh!!  Sometimes I just let myself get into a mental rut and then I wonder why my images are so boring and ordinary.

A friend commented on the post and suggested I crop this image into a square.  Another duh!!!

So....as per suggested, here it is.

original

So much better.  Thanks, Jeff.

cropped

Not As Easy As It Sounds

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I follow the blog (here) of a professional team (2 women) who conduct workshops and seminars pretty much all over the United States.  They specialize in nature photography, with a very strong emphasis on animals and flowers.

Their flower images are usually macro which are almost always handheld.  The images are pretty amazing, a testament to the skill and passion of the two women.  

I try.  Just let me say this about that.  It's not as easy as it sounds.  Handheld is out.  No way handheld is going to happen. Not in my hands.  Even with the tripod, I despair of getting the kind of images I see in my mind's eye.  But....I try.

These are the lilies I bought last week.  I managed to get them planted before they died, and they're doing great.  At least for now.