Ebony Jewelwing, male

Image Critiques Macro/Close-up Critiques
1

Ebony Jewelwing.jpg
Ebony Jewelwing.jpg2000×1334 626 KB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

It’s Ebony Jewelwing season, with them lurking in bright patches of the woods, hanging around my yard and chasing each other along sunlit areas beside the creek. This male was in the woods feasting on small flying insects and he liked this leaf enough to let me get close.

Specific Feedback

These damselflies are challenging because of their iridescent glow when they catch the sun as they hang out in small sunlit areas hunting. There were high thin clouds, which reduced the contrast enough to let me separate the subject from the background.

Technical Details

R5, 180mm macro, 1/320 s, f/9, iso 800, tripod and 2s timer. A 10 shot stack to get his entire body sharp.

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1 Like
2

So nice of it to sit still for the duration of a stack, Mark. I love the way the Jewelwing almost blends into the dark background but still has all that detail when I take the time to sit and look. The leaf perch does a fine job of anchoring the image and it’s relative brightness makes the dark insect and background that much more mysterious.

3

I don’t think I have ever seen one of these, Mark, so I am really enjoying it a lot. I know damselflies are difficult to photograph, both because they are small, and they also move a lot. I also find them to be a bit skittish of me getting in close so that I can get a nice macro shot of them. I’m glad he stayed still for you to get a stack of shots of him. I can imagine that the iridescent glow of his body didn’t help either, so kudos to you for this excellent shot. Well done.

4

I agree with the others here Mark. You got an amazing result on the irridescence of this damselfly and sharp throughout on both insect and leaf. Nice dark BG to contrast with the DF.

5

Really nice, Mark. The colours are excellent, good position, tack-sharp, and very impressive stacking ability!

6

Hi Mark,

Nice and sharp and the highlights pull the damselfly out of the BG. This is a rare occurrence to get a 10 shot stack for a creature that spends most of its life in flight. BG is very nice and everything comes together nicely. Well done…Jim

7

Mark: A 10 shot stack and using a 2s timer! Kudos to you for setting up perfectly and nailing the exposure. Most excellent. >=))>