The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
We had fog yesterday morning and I went out looking for dewdrops. I decided to check on a wild grape that is budding out and found a fly. Maybe not the most exotic subject, but I was happy with the opportunity. It sat still for a stack.
Shadow and Highlight adjustments in LR then into Zerene Stacker. A DMap and PMax layered and masked to conceal halos. Both had noise removed with Topaz Denoise. Cropped to about 50%.
Critique Template
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Wow, Diane, this is really nice. The droplets really are a nice addition with the fly, and the flower buds certainly made a nice perch. I love the one leg reaching out. The smooth BG makes it all stand out nicely.
Thanks, @Dennis_Plank, @Mike_Friel, @Paul_Breitkreuz and @Shirley_Freeman! This was undoubtedly my ration of luck for quite a while. Mike, you have keen eyesight! Not exactly an orchard but in between two redwoods in a row we planted along the driveway 4 years ago. They look more like oversized Christmas trees than stately giants, with the limbs right down at ground level. Several wild grapes sprouted from the heavy mulch and I’ve protected them for target material. I can’t wait till the little grape bunches start appearing! (Then in a couple of years I’ll be trying desperately to kill them, along with the normal assortment of poison oak and wild blackberry.)
Diane: Oh my, this is fine! Perfect perch and the dew is icing on a very fine cake. Luck happens to those who are prepared and skilled enough to take advantage of the situation. You clearly aced this test. Most excellent. >=))>
PS: I think you’ve said that your camera can auto-stack. How quickly can you get the images you need?
Thanks, @Bill_Fach! My Canon R5 will auto-bracket at 20 fps in electronic shutter, but then I load the set into LR and delete any ahead of and behind the subject and use Zerene to do the stack. If the camera did it, it would use its own idea of the raw adjustments and return a JPEG. I’d rather do it the hard way.
For a smallish flower if I’m at about f/8 I can usually do a stack in less than a second. If there is slight motion due to air movement, IF the BG is relatively OOF and whatever is in focus is moving as a unit, Zerene will align them! I’m constantly amazed by what I can get away with in that regard! But it’s definitely a tripod thing.
Somehow I missed this one Diane. Congratulations on the EP! Whilst I’m not a big fan of flies, the little bud cradling the fly and perhaps keeping him safe and warm overnight is just lovely.
