Candles

First I have to apologise for not posting any pictures for quite some time now. Hopefully I'll have more free time to post pictures from now on.

I did a picture for a "Good Use of DOF" Assignment at DPS website a few days ago. I wanted to experiment with DOF (Depth Of Field) so I decided to take a picture of four tea light candles and focus on the first one. And this is what I got...

About the shot:

EXIF:
- Camera: Canon EOS 400D
- Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
- Aperture: f/5.6
- Focal length: 300mm
- ISO: 200
- Flash: Flash Not Fired
- Post-processing software: Adobe Photoshop CS2
- Date taken: 20.01.2008

I used my Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 II zoom lens. I don't like this lens because it's one of the worst lenses to work with. But when I needed a zoom lens with focal lenght up to 200mm or more, a couple of months ago, I really didn't have enough money to buy a better one. And I really needed one, so buying this one was my only option at the time.

I put the camera on my tripod and zoomed in on the candles. I used manual focus and I focused on the first candle. I did a couple of test shots to correct my white balance and focus. I also added bit of unsharp mask in Photoshop.

Overall I'm quite pleased with the way this picture turned out. Especially considering the kind of equipment I worked with. What do you think?