The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
A Robber fly was on my driveway - very cold and basically imobile, but alive. I moved it on this leaf to a couple of locations, but it was so windy it kept blowing all over and we had a heck of a time. Finally, after this shot, I let it go into some leaf litter where maybe it could find a winter hide away. It’s always so surprising the colors bugs present when you get this close. Basically I see these guys flitting around and they’re all dark to me. Here though there are shades of red, tan and green here and there. The blue I think is reflected sky.
Specific Feedback
Sharpness ok? I know the setting is less than ideal, but I didn’t want to hurt it by repositioning it constantly. Does it detract too much?
Technical Details
Handheld, but braced and with some on-camera fill flash
Lr for a crop and some wb adjustment as well as masking to improve contrast and focus on the insect. Nothing too crazy.
Critique Template
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Vision and Purpose:
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Very nice, Kris! Nice sharpness as far as my old eyes can see. I am amazed that you could get a Robberfly this sharp at 1/100th second HH. He must have been very cold for you to pick him up and move him. Excellent job.
Excellent portrait of something only its mother could love! (But a good portrait is a good portrait.)
I think the setting is wonderful! The colors are well controlled and the DOF on the leaf is just right, with the transition to the near part smooth and still with some detail, and the BG is interesting but quiet enough not to distract. He doesn’t look well protected from the cold. Hope he found a winter nest.
Thanks @Shirley_Freeman, @Diane_Miller & @Dennis_Plank - after the wish for more DOF in one of my little crab spiders, I had the presence of mind to stop the lens down for this semi-captive. With the flash, it’s really about that millisecond more than the shutter speed, but since I was braced on my garden wall, things were plenty steady. I hope it can over winter, too.
@Jim_Zablotny might know more or have better sources, but I did some poking around on the web about whether the adults overwinter. The only source that said definitely no was the AI summary, which I don’t trust. Most just said that the larvae go through 4 instars over about three years then the pupae overwinter and emerges as an adults. However, most of the species live in warm climates, so who knows?
Kris: Great capture of this sleeping killer. While I understand you hoping it survives the winter I suspect a lot of its would be prey are hoping it turns into an ice bug and stays inert. Exceptionally good work in your setup and the capture. Superbly crafted image. >=))>
Excellent composition and details, Kris. The low angle really added to the story. I am good with the background and the shape of the leaf makes a nice pose from this subject. well done!!
Absolutely could be that the adults don’t over winter, Dennis. I didn’t want to assume it wouldn’t though and erred on the side of…positivity? We have literally knee deep leaves on the edges of the woods so there is plenty of habitat for anything that needs it. Not to mention natural mulch for my plants.
Thanks @Bill_Fach, @Dean_Salman & @Mike_Friel - funny, I was worried about the background a little, but I guess I didn’t need to. The leaf was a handy scoop for the little critter ( do the same for spiders sometimes).
A very nice robber fly and its great when they decide to pose for you. And cool temps certainly helped. I might want to crop dome more to eliminate the dark lower RH corner, but its not a deal breaker. It pulls my eye a bit. Subject is nice and sharp. Robber flies overwinter as larvae and this one will probably perish as temps continue to drop. Larvae can be found in decomposing logs with pupation occuring in the soil ,Jim
