Fighting Fiddlers

Image Critiques Macro/Close-up Critiques
1

fighting-fiddlers.jpg
fighting-fiddlers.jpg2186×2185 2.36 MB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

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

Description

Inter-tidal zone salt marsh. There are thousands of these fiddler crabs, I caught these 2 males fighting, presumably over a female.

Specific Feedback

I did a very tight crop to isolate these 2, but perhaps it seems artificial. The full image includes other crabs, shells, and marsh grass. Would it be better to leave more of the surroundings?

Technical Details

Iso 400, f8, 1/200 sec. Canon 5DSR 100mm.
Fairly minimal processing, slight contrast increase and improved shadow detail, sharpening and tight crop.

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2

Glenn, you really got a perfect angle on these two, showing their crossed claws and all eeyes and stalks. I think the tight crop works well here, although I’d also like to see a looser one with the shells and grass you mentioned.
Great find!

3

Nice shot of these two fiddler crabs Glenn. I love the crossed claws vying for dominance. I think the crop is good. I think a little lower POV might help in the future if you can get in and out of the mud without a disaster to yourself or your camera gear.

4

here is the shot straight from the camera

fighting fiddlers-uncropped
fighting fiddlers-uncropped900×600 336 KB

5

Hi Glenn. Given the shot straight from the camera, I think you were wise to crop it down pretty tightly. The brighter areas around the shaded area would have made the image awkward to process and get anything very good. You concentrated on the important part and with a pair of fiddler crabs arguing, the habitat is fairly obvious and you got enough of it to work.

That looks like it might be your shadow shading them which worked very well. When I looked at the initial post, I was going to suggest that it might have given you a very interesting image if you could have gotten down flat on the ground to shoot them at their own level, but it that’s your shadow it would have been pretty difficult.

In any case, you got a very nice image out of this.

6

Glenn: What Dennis said. The crop emphasizes the real subject in a way the wider view can’t . Nice find and good decisions all around. :+1: :+1:>=))>

7

Thanks for posting the wider crop. Interesting, all the stuff in the sand.
I do prefer the tighter crop - well-done!

8

Glenn, I like the tighter crop too. Looks like they are pretty serious in their fight with each other. Nicely done.

9

Glenn, this is a fun view of nature in action with the two fighters. Fascinating that one is a righty and the other a lefty… Having shot fiddlers in the past, I know that patience is required before they come out and “play”.