The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
That’s its name in Korean, probably because of its fairly slow fluttering flight using broad wings. Rhyothemis fuliginosa is a colorful dragonfly seen at the moment on ponds, and I was pleased to catch this one yesterday resting on a lotus bud. This is a male, as it has transparent patches on the ends of the hindwings.
Specific Feedback
Anything.
Technical Details
D500 + 150-600mm (@320mm) 1/640 f16 ISO 1250
LR, Denoise then PS to tweak the contrast. Selectively brightened the bud. Small selective sharpening of the dragonfly.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Mike: What a spectacular critter on a spectacular perch! I don’t recall ever seeing a dragonfly like this and to catch it in such a wonderful setting is really special. Most excellent. >=))>
This is just plain awesome, Mike. It assumed such a perfect pose for you and it’s perch, in itself would make a very nice subject. That dragonfly is also extremely interesting. Excellent image.
What a spectacular critter, Mike! Just gorgeous! Amazing wings, and in a perfect position to show them off. The lotus bud is lovely - a perfect perch.
Exceptional image -
As others have stated, this is awesome, and spectacular!
I would like to add that the patterns in the lower wings have a really neat way of appearing almost three dimensional even though they are flat in reality. I looked at a few others online and they all seem to have their own unique patterns that appear 3D.
It’s very interesting to me that the lower wingtips are transparent like the upper wings.
It’s a real treat for me since it’s my first time seeing one.
I’m not sure if I need to calibrate my monitor or not, and it may just be me since I’ve never seen one of these in person but the image seems to have a very slight green and cyan cast to it.
I’m posting a comparison image I did in PS, so if you notice that the adjusted one on the right doesn’t look right to you, please let me know and I’ll address calibrating my monitor.
Thank you for your observation, Merv. I do prefer your muting of the green and cyan, so have done a little of this and also softened the colors of the brown blob on the right. See the rework above.
Yes, each individual has its own hindwing pattern, some more colorful than others, so it’s fun to seek out the more attractive ones.
@Bill_Fach@Sandy_Richards-Brown@Dennis_Plank . Thanks for your comments. It is so hot here at the moment (35 deg plus) that all the dfs were adopting the obelisk position. So did I when possible!
I went ahead with calibrating my monitor anyway.
The monitor user manual says to calibrate every 6 months (If I remember right).
I use the Datacolor Spider X Pro which cost almost as much as the monitor, Lol.
The monitor is still within the specified range even after more than 2 years, so I wonder if the purchase of the calibration tool was worth it?
Of course if I didn’t have it, I’d wonder if the monitor is still in calibration, so I guess in that regard, it is worth it.
Mike, this is a great catch with the colorful DF perched on the colorful bud. I do think the rework looks a bit better (although on its own, the original looked fine also).
@Merv, the 6 month recalibration interval comes from the days of CRT monitors. They changed brightness of their three color “guns” rapidly. With today’s LED monitors, the colors are vastly more stable (as you saw during your recalibration).
Ah, thank you so much for shedding some light on that for me, Mark!
You are right! I had forgotten which monitor user manual I was thinking of.
The ASUS ProArt monitors are LED, they’re probably the best monitors I’ve ever had for photography and video work.
What a great shot., Mike. Love the beautiful DF as well as the beautiful perch. They usually find some broken stem to land on when I get the opportunity to take a shot of a DF.
>=))>