Any advice on taking pictures like this

Ok...I'm going to try my hand at this critiquing bit... Plants make really interesting subjects, I like this one for the circular pattern of the leaves and the drop of water in the center. But (and there's always a but isn't there....), I think the lighting is rather harsh, the sun is casting hard shadows on the upper right and lower right leaves, which detracts from the image. Also IMHO...Straight on dead center images tend to be a bit boring, maybe a slightly different camera angle, I'd love to see that droplet of water really stand out, with early morning light and a side view maybe... or at least get the droplet of water out of the center of the pic. So that's my two cents, not sure if it helps and I hope I didn't hurt your feelings. Michelle runs away before she can get yelled at.

I like the image but I have a hard time deciding what the focus is. it can't be the center, i can't see it well enough. it can't be the full circle, the tips of some of the leaves are cut off. Also the focus is fuzzy in strange places with the only completely clear bit of focus being slight off center on a part of the image that seems odd for the focus to really be on. first suggestion is to decide what you're really going to have be the focal point of the image. The use various means to make it stand out. when working close your depth of field is real short, so make sure that your focal point is crisp and clear and let everything else be fuzzy around it. Second suggestion is to pick a subject that is interesting to start with. In this, there's some light and shadow, nothing real dramatic but not bad, and one bit of leaf has a small rip in it. nothing memorable. If you zoom in some on the center, and as Michelle suggested, angle the shot so it's not straight on, you might have a much more interesting image. Or if you need to stay straight on zoom in tight on the center, or back way up so we can see the entire circle, including tips of all the leaves.

Thanks for all your replies. I will try Michelles suggestion about the angle and light and post the results tomorrow The focus should have been the water but it was done automatically by the camera I will try and figure out the manual focus The camera is an Olympus camedia C-2500 Digital The lens is an Olympus lens AF zoom 9.2-28mm 1:2.8-3.9 glass aspherical 43mm and that means nothing to me

You've had good advice here already so all I would add is to ask yourself what makes something interesting, or what attracts you to something before you point the camara at it & try to work with that, the light, contrasts, pattern, forms & shapes etc, whatever it is that seems to be attracting your attention.

a waterdrop isn't going to look like much headon. it does to our eyes because our brain interprets it and usualy enhances details without our realizing it. but for the camera to see it well you'll need to find a more interesting camera angle, where the light glances off the drop, something behind it distorts where the drop is, and things are reflected in it. Take a close look at image of water drops and study the drops themself. ask yourself why the drops look interesting (ignore the rest of the image for this study). Close one eye while you do this, it makes it eaiswer when studying 3D space that will ultimately be reproduced in 2D, to close one eye.

well here goes. i'm a bit of a newbie myself so lets have a go at this critique thing. i agree with every one about the water drop thing..needs a bit of zingy sunlight bouncing off so you can see it. As for the shadows on the leaves i think thats the best bit imo.And being a digi user myself it can be a pain to get that focus just where u want it...i still havent quite figuered that out myself yet. i normally snap several pics of the same shot and pick out the one that comes closest to what i was looking for. not very helpful am i ? :(

On the contrary Weirdstop, I believe Alpha has made similar suggestions in the past about looking/photographing a subject from many different viewpoints, almost stalking the subject, so to speak! And "zingy sunlight"...I love that phrase! All the other advice above is very relevant too...I have nothing more intelligent to add ('specially coz its 0600hrs and my brain hasn't woken up yet)other than as a symmetrical plant study this is very nice, It will be cool to see what else you post in light of the advice above. :-)>

Oh so many opinions, one little plant! Strongly symetrical things, like radial plants, can make a strong graphic statement when photographed "head on." It is a dangerous technique, as we all get pretty bored with seeing some things straight on, (like flowers...). So, explore different angles, but don't give up the head on symetry entirely if it gives you the impact you want. My guess is that here the strong graphic approach isn't working because of unsharp focus, and distracting background. For this closeup stuff, a tripod is highly recommended, even one of the cheapy little ones is better than hand holding (holding hands??) at these close distances. And, if possible, use a "manual" or "aperature preferred" mode, and close the f-stop down to get enough depth of field (use bigger f number). This will require a slower shutter speed, which is why the tripod is important. I'd also take a large sheet of paper, black or neutral brownish, and cut a slit from one edge to the center. Then slide this under the plant to simplify the background. 'Chelle pointed out the harsh lighting. Again, this can sometimes make a strong graphic statement, but here I think you'd be better off with softer light. I like cloudy days for plant photography, but maybe you can use a big white card to reflect some light into the deep shadows. "Fill Flash" can also be used, and I'd bet this is explained in the Olympus manual. A squirt bottle (as for discouraging cats) is useful for misting. And do not pay too much attention to anyone here, we are all crazy... Whatever you do, it is you who has to like the final result.