Original image
I was hiking in the mountains with a group and didn’t expect to be able to take many pictures. Then we saw a spurge hawkmoth caterpillar and discovered several more afterward. The small caterpillar fit so well into the milkweed that I thought it might make a good photo.
Any feedback is welcome.
Nikon D 850
Focal length: 105mm macro
ISO 400
Shutter speed: 1/125
Aperture: 7
I really like the effect of the shallow depth of field on the vegetation, Kathrin. The color palette is gorgeous.
A very delicate image and the surroundings plus BG are just as interesting as the subject. The caterpillar is fairly bright and I would be inclined to reduce the brightness slightly if so desired. Other than that, I like this one as presented…Jim
Hi Kathrin! This is a beautiful image. I really like the lighting and colors. The shallow DOF works well. The comp is also nice. Very well done!
Maybe you see the caterpillar a bit better, if it’s darker I will give it a try.
Kathrin: What @Dennis_Plank said. Shallow DOF is fun to play with and I think you did exceptionally well with the soft focus and soft color palette. Really nice find and a superb capture and presentation. >=))>
Kathrin, I like this. When I am shooting insects I have a tendency to get in as close to it as I can trying to get all the details I can of the critter, but I like how you have included the environment he is in.
Here’s another one I missed earlier, but have to pop in to say how much I like it! The caterpillar is very interesting, with enough in focus, and the plant is wonderful! The soft colors and shallow DOF worked very well here.
The moody haze and wonderful colors make this stand out to my eye. The only thing I might change would be to crop off some of the top (down to the first leaf). But I can see that you wanted the caterpillar well off-center, so that’s just my personal taste. Super shot!
You certainly know caterpillars . I agree with @Dennis_Plank . The soft pastels and color management are perfect. I too really like the out of focus bokeh. I like the yellow in the caterpillar as is - shows perfect contrast and nails this critter as the subject. Most effective and unusual result. Yea.
Mike, I plan to make another version with a crop. The height isn’t mandatory, it’s simply the standard format. It probably won’t happen during the week. 
@Dennis_Plank, @Jim_Zablotny, @Steve_Kennedy, @Bill_Fach, @Shirley_Freeman, @Diane_Miller, @Mike_Friel, @Larry_Greenbaum,
Thank you all so much for the positive feedback. 
This is so eye-catching - I really like the soft color palette and how the photo is more about the life this creature leads (and where it leads it) than a study in detail. Often these scenes are overlooked or forced into a much smaller frame, so this is a nice alternative.
so beautiful and art like feel ..well done
Balan Vinod
@Jim_Zablotny , @Mike_Friel,
I edited the color of the caterpillar and cropped at the top.
I like the edited better. It’s not a big change but it works. Thanks to you two.
Hi Kristen,
often, the surroundings don’t look all that great. When planning such photos, you probably have to look for locations where that’s possible. Or you might have an idea of what you want to photograph in a particular location.
Hello Balan,
thanks a lot.
I just had a lot of fun scrolling through your photo gallery. Those neat little spiders. 
