The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
A green darner emerges from its nymph exoskeleton into a brand new world. They are migratory and this one will probably fly south to breed and come back up in the spring. This makes them one of the first dragonfly species we see up this way. They fly together in huge colonies once the temps drop and their prey becomes limited. Common green darners are one of the only dragonfly species that is migratory although it is only late summer/early fall adults that do it. Early adults breed and die where they transform.
There were four of them in various stages of emergence where I parked the kayak. The larvae are bigger than many adult dragonflies and the bodies of full adults are as long as my middle finger. Huge. They are so bright green when they first emerge and their abdomens don’t take on the blue/black coloring until they mature. The green will darken slightly as well, but still remain vivid. They have huge wings and when they buzz you, you know it!
I have video as well and it was pretty cool to watch the wings inflating and the body becoming straight and narrow. Truly wonders of nature, but oh so vulnerable at this stage. In my years of kayaking I’ve seen hundreds of soft, squishy and still earth-bound dragonflies picked off by birds, turtles and even fish. This one had a good hiding place hanging underneath an old tree branch, but so near the surface of the water that a small-mouth or turtle could have easily gotten it. As it turned out, nothing did. When I returned to this spot a few hours later it let me get literally two photos before taking to the air.
Specific Feedback
Yeah, I know the lower right is bright and not the same, but I couldn’t move the kayak to a better position due to other obstructions. Does the backlighting and dramatic pose overcome it?
Technical Details
Handheld in the kayak. Freewell VND base filter plus CPL attached.
Highlight weighted metering
Lr for basic processing including a crop to remove distracting elements. Then to Topaz Sharpen to bring up detail and Photoshop to remove more distractions and use a mid tones 2 mask to bump those & hit it with a Make it Glow action at about 1/2 strength.
Hi Kris, great to catch this guy in a kayak - kudos! The large size is really interesting. Much of the body seems translucent in that backlighting. The pose is terrific - I guess stretching out to get his/her blood pumping. Love that you caught it over the old nymph shell. I think you could try a hand at taking out the gray streak in LRC if you wanted. Maybe crop in a little tighter from the right and just clone what’s left. Very nice catch.
Thanks @Allen_Sparks, @Diane_Miller & @Mark_Seaver - it was a pretty serendipitous encounter since I originally stopped to try for some green heron shots, but it spooked and took off and it was then that I noticed these guys. Came close to smooshing one accidentally because I didn’t see it, but luckily didn’t. I may give it a slightly tighter crop & see how that looks.
Wow, Kris, from a Kayak! Really nice look at this DF with the nymph shell. I don’t think I have ever seen this in person, so always appreciate seeing photos. The lighting really works well. I like his position too.
Kris, it’s amazing what you see when in your kayak! I love the story unfolding here, no pun intended, and that transcends the issues in the LRC, however I do agree with the others about cropping in a bit from the right and trying to manage some cloning or something with what is left. I took the liberty of downloading this and in PS I was able to use the healing brush and got this result, without cropping more from the image…just a thought! it was a rather ‘quick’ fix, so there are some artifacts that would need touch up but you get the idea.
Thanks @Shirley_Freeman, @brenda_tharp & again @Diane_Miller - I’ve waved the magic remove tool at it and tried a different crop. Thanks for pushing it to its best. New image in the OP.
And yeah, the things I get to see from the kayak never cease to amaze me which is why I love being out on the water.
Oh and a down and dirty shot of it seconds before taking to the air on its first flight -
Super!! And great that you got the first solo! I always justify these little improvements by asking myself if I would have removed the distraction in the field if I could have – or if i has seen it! If the answer is yes, I’ll become a painter.
This shows that the backlighting in the original posting had created such a pleasant golden color on the wings - makes the first shot even more impressive.
Thanks @Mike_Friel - when their wings are soft they can be a different color to when they’re hardened up. I am glad I saw it again because I was a bit worried that it was eaten. The others doing the same metamorphosis were gone as well so I think they were all whizzing by me as I paddled back to the launch.
Oh, yes, Kris, I appreciate the second shot that was just before he took flight, and it does make me appreciate the first shot even better. Your re-edit really improved the shot too.
I echo what has already been said including the crop suggestion, so, the rework just about nails it in my view.
It’s just a wonderful capture in all regards!
This is much more than just a documentary image in many ways but I would bet that any publishers of Insect ID books would love to have a copy of this!
It’s certainly not needed and it may not even work but, have you explored the idea of darkening the wings just a tad to bring out more detail there?
Just a thought really, I haven’t tried it and it may not work with a high key BG.
Thanks @Merv - it was a pretty special encounter given the fact that I had no idea this one, or the others, were near when I lodged the boat here. I will have a play with the wings, but I kind of like them light and ethereal. The bg is just the reflection of sky in the water directly under the dragonfly. Plus it was backlit as well.
Thanks again @Bill_Fach - time in the kayak is one of my greatest joys. It’s such an immersive way to be in nature and one that I find is less intrusive than stomping around in the woods. I’ve been able to see, photograph and film all kinds of things I’d never see being stuck on land. I hope I can continue to do it until my dying day.
I’ve been able to see, photograph and film all kinds of things I’d never see being stuck on land. I hope I can continue to do it until my dying day.