The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I spent four hours in a backwater on the Somo river today and the dragonflies were gettin’ busy. This pair of Dot-tailed white faces does its best to ensure the future of the species. There were tons of them doing the same, but I like this shot for the side view and the eggs I think are visible on her abdomen. Those rust colored bits…maybe it’s sperm packets though, not sure. Tiny round things anyway. Sometimes he would flutter his wings a bit, but mostly kept them flat like this so he’s a bit hidden while she’s in plain view. The reflection was a bonus! Sitting quietly on the edge of the water has its rewards. I did a lot of that today.
Specific Feedback
Anything for improvement is up for grabs. It’s the sharpest of the few I took before they moved on. Look ok? Crop ok? I have some wiggle room.
Technical Details
Handheld in the kayak up against some bushes, leaning forward with elbows on knees. CPL on, but probably not full.
Lr for initial work to massage tonalities and color. Sent to Topaz Sharpen AI Standalone for some detail and noise reduction. Added some texture & clarity after, but not a lot. Photoshop to remove distractions and use TK9 plug in to mask just the lily pads and brought them into a curves layer set to Multiply. Worked a treat.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
I was so busy admiring the positive image that it took me a second to realize it was also a wonderful reflection shot, Kris. The is gorgeous. No nits at all.
Wow, amazing! Excellent detail and great reflection.
You might consider removing that OOF lilly pad behind the dragonflies, which feels very distracting to me. I don’t think it adds anything
Excellent, and the reflection is so cool!!! And what a fantastic perch! The hints of blue are a lovely touch. I think you could crop tighter to show off the subject. The water is lovely and I like the darker reflection toward the left side, but for my taste you could crop into the second lily pad by 1/3 or so and tighten up the rest to match. In any case, I wonder if that pad can be darkened a little.
Oh my, Kris you have out did yourself with this shot! Using the kayak really does have it’s bonus for being down low and getting such a great reflection. Excellent details. Well done HH in a kayak!
Kristen, I think this is great. I love the greens of the water and especially the texture with the ripples. The dragonflies behavior is wonderful and you captured them really well (as some might say - at the decisive moment). I might look at a slight crop in from the sides and maybe a very slight vignette.
Larry
Thanks @Dennis_Plank, @Diane_Miller. @Shirley_Freeman, @SandyR-B & @LarryR - it really was a great moment when these two landed just in front of the kayak. Right place, right time. I’ve added a 2nd image with a bigger crop and a very slight vignette. Had a go at removing that far lily pad, but the fact that the male’s head is in front of it made it pretty much a disaster. Nature is what it is.
I think it’s an improvement of an already excellent image. Enough of the lovely water remains and the incredible subject stands out even more. Maybe just darken the OOF lily pad, with a gradient away from the head? But you probably tried that.
I used a range selection in the TK9 panel to darken the lily pad, but bringing it down more just made it muddy and weird. Didn’t try a gradient. I forget it exists since I so suck at using one in Ps. Looking close at 200% makes me think they aren’t mites. Too round and regular and no legs or antennae. Not sure what they are, but if I think of it I’ll ask the experts that are leading a field trip tomorrow all about dragon and damselflies. I can probably show the pic on my phone with enough detail.
The new Gen fill can be an amazing tool. I always have mixed feelings about it, and use it very sparingly, but I guess it’s little different than the old tedious cloning we used to do, often with poor results.
Thanks @SandyR-B, I understand it CAN be done, I just didn’t like the result with the dragonfly’s head. To me it looks incongruous and odd, but maybe for others it doesn’t simply because they weren’t there to see it. It’s a balance we try to strike; realism and aesthetics; always a struggle.
Ok, so after speaking with two experts and showing the photo, Diane got it in one! They are water mites. They are related to the usual terrestrial ones, but don’t have much in the way of legs or antenna and are basically tiny balloons, so no wonder I couldn’t spot anything else. Brett & Emily also said this was a pretty heavy load of them and a damselfly they caught showed only a few on it which is more normal.
Kris: I’m really late to this party but what a great capture of the moment. I do like the cropped version but my only tiny suggestion would be to not cut off the pad on the left. The water action and the reflection really put this over the top. Most excellent. >=))>
Thanks for the EP @Bill_Fach - and yeah, I really dithered over that crop because I like the totality of the water and the lily pads. Your version seems to be a good compromise.
