The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I spooked this little one off the remains of the salvia when I watered it and so I went back in for the camera. It was so scared it kept going behind stalks of flowers to hide from me. Here it hugs a flower and tries very hard not to be seen. Probably a young Short-winged green grasshopper. Less than 1 inch long IRL.
Specific Feedback
While I like the pose and the overall composition etc., I feel the flash is a bit too intense here. What say you?
Technical Details
Handheld w/on-camera flash in TTL, but dialed back quite a bit, MagMod diffuser. Added a 6mm extension tube so I could get a little closer to this guy.
Lr for RAW work to even out the tonalities - the flash seemed a bit strong so I did my best to mitigate that - blacks at 0, lowered exposure slightly and then messed with sliders a bit for the S-curve. Wb adjustment and a bit of hue shift for the flowers. Texture, clarity & traditional sharpening & nr & this vertical crop. Ps for distraction removal that just looked weird when I tried it in Lr. It’s weird sometimes.
Hi Kris,
that guy looks really cool. It seems like he found a pretty cozy place to hide. And with its green color, it perfectly complements the purple-colored flowers.
Hmmm… yes the flash light looks a tiny bit harsh. Did you work with your flash setup in combination with the extension tube before? Maybe the flash was too close to the subject.
I agree with @Jens_Ober that the colors are a winning combination here. Good details all the way around. The flash might have been just a bit intense, but I would take this shot and be pleased with it! Well done.
Kris, I also love the color contrast you have in this image. He is just too cute trying to hide from you. I’m okay with the flash. It might have been a touch strong, but it didn’t ruin the image with blowouts. Sometimes I have to lower the power of the flash, but I rarely move the distance of the flash and diffuser from the subject. I feel like I have found the sweet spot for them. I change the power of the flash, the ISO and sometimes the f-stop (try to leave that to get the DOF I desire). I hope that helps.
Thanks @Jens_Ober, @terryb & @Shirley_Freeman - I couldn’t have asked for better colors, really, what an accommodating bug! It is rather cute and I have a few more shots to go through. I think the slight light fall off with the extension tube caused me to raise the flash a bit more than usual, but I’m still getting the hang of the whole set up. Right now I shoot in Manual for the camera with auto ISO and that lets me change the flash power in camera using the forward dial when I hit the Exposure Compensation button. That only moves the ISO automatically and I dial in different shutter speeds if needed and definitely apertures. It isn’t a big loss here, just a slight over flash, but I’ll keep playing with it. I like the flexibility I get with it.
Put a very slightly more contrasty shot in the OP, but I don’t know it’s all that noticable.
Thanks again, @terryb - you know how it is when you just can’t see the photo anymore, at least objectively, so it’s good to know I’m heading in the right direction.
Very cool!! Great colors with excellent DOF and a soft BG, and I LOVE the way it’s hanging on trying to hide! The tweak worked well but I can’t criticize either version.
Thanks @Shirley_Freeman & @Diane_Miller - it was terrified of me and I gave it breaks and kept the session short in the end. It was just too cute to leave totally alone!
