The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Later in the afternoon in mid-April I found myself in the one of the canyons in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California working along a creek. The sun had started to set and the fog was rolling in off the coast and the cold damp air started to settle into this canyon. This dragonfly found this perch on a broken tree stump and due to the cold air just sat there for hours. I thought there would be no hope in photographing it as my only approach to it was from its head, so I did not even try. But as I passed by its perch several times noticed that it did not move at all, and figured it had gotten to cold for it and was there for the night. So I swapped out my lens for my macro and took several different compositions, and this was my favorite.
Specific Feedback
I did not have much room to try different compositions, so I am wondering if this angle works?
Technical Details
Nikon D850, Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Macro set at f32, 3 seconds, at ISO 400
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
The composition works for me, Youssef. I find that they are usually pretty tolerable of our presence, especially if we move slow around them. I am sure the cooler temps were a help. The perch he is on is really nice. Glad you decided to try getting a shot of him. He’s a real beauty. I don’t think I have seen one with yellow markings. Nice.
Youssef: Really good subject on a fine perch with a very complementary BG. What’s not to like? I shoot a lot of dragonflies and find that they almost always return to the same perches and may kind of travel a circuit. I’ll stay by one perch and let them come to me instead of chasing them all over the garden. When one is like this I’ll take a shot from a safe distance and then slowly approach. Keep up the good macro work. This is really well done. >=))>
The composition works for me, Youssef, and I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this species, so that’s an additional treat. That wood it chose to spend the night on makes an awesome perch and background.
Thank you @Shirley_Freeman, @Bill_Fach, and @Dennis_Plank. Given that none of you could identify this dragonfly sent me on a wild internet goose chase. I ended up downloading a phone app to take a photo of my photo to identify it. It is amazing how badly the internet does with identifying dragonflies. Eventually I found that this little guy is a male Octogomphus specularis - Grappletail. Then I entered the scientific name in the search bar and found it at bugguide.net and the photo there on the site was taken in practically in the same area where I made my photo was made.
I’ve never taken a macro shot over a 3 second period, tho’ I love that lens. You worked this one so well, getting the dof to include the prehistoric-looking stump. A very original dragonfly shot; to my eye it does look frozen in time, almost as if in amber.
@Mike_Friel I was surprised I could take such a long exposure, but in the cooling air, that Grappletail just did not move, no matter how close I brought the lens to it, so it became just another non-moving landscape feature and I had free reign with exposure times.
I love clubtails - they’re the perfect mix of energetic and chill. The angle and setting are pretty great to show off all the textures and colors. And not even a wing twitch to mess it up. Cropping slightly from the right could eliminate some of the bits creeping in there and possibly just brightening the insect itself might help it to stand out a bit better. Feels a tad murky here though the colors look good. Great job on the ID Odes are tough sometimes.
