The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
While splitting firewood, I encountered some interesting pieces of wood that were carved out by carpenter ants. Unlike termites, carpenter ants utilize tree cavities that have rotten wood for their nest site. Carpenter ants do not consume wood, but gather honeydew, nectar, and small insects for food. If you examine the large version, you can see the marks left by the mandibles of these ants when they constructed this nest.
Technical Details
Z9 60mm f2.8 micro (1/200 sec at f8.0, ISO 80, 4 flashes at 1/16/ 1/32 1/64 power ) Levels, curves, crop and rotation. 43 image stack. Flashes were set on manual so that the lighting would be the same for each image. Repost with slight rotation and crop.
This is so cool, Jim. You picked a great section to photograph and did an excellent job of conveying the depth and intricacy of the structure. This has a feel something like the ancient cliff dwellings of the southwest (or perhaps a modern high rise).
Great find Jim and cool image! The caverns created by the ants is fascinating. They indeed resemble cliff dwellings from New Mexico. Did you consider a slight rotation clockwise? That would help eliminate that bright sliver on the upper right edge.
How cool is this?!! Both a gorgeous image and a fascinating documentation. The 3D character comes through very well with the careful lighting and great tonalities. I’d keep this for a piece of mini-sculpture. I second @Alfredo_Mora on the rotation – not just for the UR corner – there are enough vertical lines that the whole things feels off. It’s the sort of thing I always have the feeling to “level up” when it’s this close.
Thank you @Dennis_Plank , @Alfredo_Mora , @Diane_Miller , and @Kris_Smith for your comments and critiques. I did a slight clockwise rotation and crop which removed the bright edge on the upper right side. @Kris_Smith nickname? Oh no, now I’m paranoid .
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