The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Michigan has been shrouded in hazy smoke due to extensive wildfires in Canada. Normally, I would use flashes for lighting, but not when nature provides a large diffuser for the sun. Fragile forktails are an uncommon species and was lucky enough to find one by the Duck Pond. The body of this species is close to an inch and a half in length. There are several clusters of phoretic mites attached to the underside of the abdomen too.
Technical Details
z9 200mm f4 micro (1/200 sec. at f18, ISO 1600) Topaz DeNoise AI, Microcontrast Adjustment, Levels, Crop for Comp. There was a fairly obviouse light area in the lower RH corner which was removed with a prudent crop. Otherwise, I would have presented this one with a full frame…Jim
Jim, what a shot of this damselfly. Even captured the mites on it! The lighting is perfect. That has been one benefit with the haze, is it makes one big diffuser. The nice BG makes him, the perch and even the mites stand out nicely. If it were mine (I wish it was) I don’t think I would change a thing.
Very nice look at this damselfly. The lighting is terrific and details are good though, is it just me, or does the focus seem to be just back of its head? The head looks a bit soft to me when viewed at the largest frame. At any rate, a very nice shot.
Gorgeous! The thorax/head area looks lower contrast, almost as though there may be a subtle shoot-through effect. I did a soft-edged quick mask selection and a simple curves to bring up the blacks there but leave the mids where they were. Just to toss out the idea…
Thank you @Shirley_Freeman , @terryb , and @Diane_Miller for your critiques. @terryb and @Diane_Miller are correct with the issue in the head region. A small blade of grass was up against the lens hood and partially occluded the head and part of the thorax and I focused right through the blade of grass. Diane’s method of correcting this seems to be a reasonable solution. Well done…Jim
