The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I am working at trying to get some fairly nice images of dragonflies in flight. The Z9 does not latch onto insect eyes like it does for birds, animals, and people. So I prefocused on the branch and began firing off shots when the dasher came into view. I give this one a C- as the image quality is not up to my standards. It was fairly noisy and the details of the dragonfly are somewhat muted. But I am happy that with some modification of technique, I should be able to snag a few good frames.
Specific Feedback
The branch provides some context and I left it in place. I expect that the comp would be stronger with the dragonfly closer to the perch. What do you think? I do like the position of the wings and the head is very crisp.
Technical Details
Z9 200-400mm f4 + 1.4x TC (1/2500 sec at f14, ISO 4000) Levels, DeNoise, Shadows & Highlights, Curves, Double sharpening with one for RAW and the other on selected midtones for output, crop for comp…Jim
Critique Template
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“Gotcha!!” A shot most of us are after!
Wonderful when we can get these guys in flight. Thankfully, these hover sometimes for up to a minute and give us half a chance at catching them. The “animal” eye tracking on the A1 is great.
Jim, your technique worked well here.
Detail looks fine from here, even much of the wings are defined.
Beautiful 'fly - I’d sure be happy with this.
Well-done!
It looks like you’re on the right track, Jim. As long as the dragonflies hold out you should be able to get some really good ones. Have you considered using your hummingbird flash setup?
Are you kidding? C minus? For a species that doesn’t hover, I’d give it at least an A minus. Sharpness and DOF are just fine for an action shot like this and just working out capture details. Just hitting a good focal plane would be hard enough. Can’t wait to see where this goes!
I’m with @Diane_Miller on this Jim. I would be really happy with anything close to this. Nice job with the capture and with the post processing to bring out more detail. Keep it up and you’ll get even better ones. @Dennis_Plank raises an interesting thought about using a flash set up like hummingbirds.
Wow, I think you’ve done really well considering the inherent degree of difficulty for any insect-in-flight shot. I especially like the contrast you’ve achieved with the abdomen over the darker background and the forebody over lighter. I suppose the image might be improved with the dasher a bit closer to the perch and the perch itself more visually interesting. I also can’t wait to see how this goes!
Jim: Considering this is only a C- you might want to allay your angst about the image and send me the RAW file This is pretty darn special IMO with the entire critter in good focus and the perfect wintg position. Sorry my friend, I’m going to have to upgrade your self assessment to at least A-. Most excellent. >=))>
Thank you @SandyR-B , @Ed_Williams , @BobN , @Dennis_Plank , @Bill_Fach , and @Diane_Miller for your comments and critiques. I thought about the hummingbird technique and it might work. However, it might be tough with dogs having full access to the duck pond.
This is pretty darn special IMO with the entire critter in good focus and the perfect wintg position. Sorry my friend, I’m going to have to upgrade your self assessment to at least A-. Most excellent. >=))>