The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This big darkling ground beetle was out for a stroll at Stockton Pass on the South end of Mount Graham in Southeastern Arizona earlier this week as my son, my wife and I were on our annual insect expedition. I have been hobbled by a walking boot this last month making it hard to get into too many scrub brush areas to see what is crawling around. Fortunately this guy just walked right on up to me and asked me to take it’s picture.
Specific Feedback
Are the shadows and blacks too dark? This is about a 50% crop from the original. I think I should have given this a plus exposure value when I took it to get better details in the blacks.
Technical Details
Canon R5, f10, 1/1000s, iso 6400, 100-500 lens plus 1.4 tc at 700 mm.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Ed, With his rear end up in the air, it reminds me of the Stink Bugs I used to see in Calif. growing up. And boy did they stink when disturbed. First thing they do is stick the rear up and spray.
Up close I see you captured a lot of nice detail in his shell.
I would like to crop a little more all around to really get a closer look.
This is pretty cool, Ed. Nice detail throughout. With the bright background bringing the exposure up much more might have been problematic. Do you shoot with the histogram in the viewfinder? It can be very helpful as you can crank the whites up to the very edge and a little over and they’ll still be recoverable, giving you the best you can get out of the darker areas.
Thank you John, @SkipsPics, this is a close relative of the Eleodes Darkling Ground Beetles that have a nasty stinky spray. I’m not sure if this one does that too or not. This was shot from about ten-twelve feet or so away from the beetle and it is a pretty big crop. I will see if it will hold up to a bigger crop.
Thank you @Dennis_Plank, I’ve been using the blinkies to try to keep the whites in check. I will see what I can do with the histogram. This guy was going places in diffused shade, so I wanted a pretty fast SS, I ended up lifting the shadows in processing both the RAW and the jpeg. The histogram would have helped in getting the right exposure to start with.
Ed, I like the unusual pose - makes it look like it’s foraging. I don’t know if a diffused flash might have helped at that distance, but I’d like to see more detail in the side. Otherwise the detail is great.
Thank you @Mike_Friel. The silly thing is I did have my flash unit with a diffuser on it in the car when I spotted this guy. I could probably have gone and put it on and come back to find him again. He was a big black bug on some sparsely covered ground. I had just spotted two young bucks still in velvet in the area and was trying to get their portraits at the time.
