The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I noticed this Gray Mantis hanging around on a potted flower on my patio. It seemed to be content to stay in place for a while, so I took some shots of it. They really are interesting subjects to photograph, and I don’t see them very often. The area around the mantis was quite busy, so I moved my camera around the scene to try to eliminate as much background clutter as I could.
Specific Feedback
I am wondering how distracting the bright yellow flower in the background is. I did work on darkening it, but I reached a point where I thought it didn’t look right. All other impressions of this image would be most appreciated. Thanks for looking.
Ted, I think the yellow complements the grey of the mantis very well. If it’s still on your patio, I’d try to get a shot where the whole insect from head to tail is backed by the yellow. They are sometimes quite easy to move, at least our ones in Korea are. My other thought is that f10, or perhaps higher, would have got perfect focus (as the right side at the rear of the mantis is a wee bit oof). Hindsight is a wonderful thing. In the end, I find this a striking image, especially color-wise.
Thanks @Mike_Friel for your comments. I can see your point as to the yellow color of the flowers adding interest to the image rather than detracting from it. I came out today to see the mantis still there but in an awkward position. It looked like it was struggling, so I left it alone. Some time later in the day it was gone. Might have taken off on its own, or was eaten.
Ted: Exceptional capture of a pretty fearsome critter in its world. I think you pretty much nailed the plane of focus and I like how the OOF yellow flowers frame the mantis. The head tilt is cool too, like he’s sizing you up for lunch. Really well done. >=))>
Very good, Ted. I like the pose and while a bit more depth of field would be nice, I think this is certainly adequate as I don’t really dwell on any oof parts when I look at the image. While the yellow is gaudy, there’s so much of it that it works quite well.
Thanks for your comments @Dennis_Plank. I was concerned about the yellow color, as I thought it might distract from the mantis. But I guess it works in this case.
Ted, the yellow flowers set off the Mantis much better than a darker background would. The front half is nicely sharp and it’s clearly looking at you (which I’ve often seen Mantids do when I photograph them). Getting the entire wing sharp would be good as there look to be some interesting textures there. Since it looks like it’s body is twisted, full sharpness would most likely need a stack.
Thank you @Mark_Seaver. I noticed that the body of the Mantis towards the back end was slightly soft in the image. I probably would have gotten everything sharp had I moved a little to my left so that the whole body was in the same focal plane.
The mantis shows up well against the yellow portion of the BG. There’s some sharpening artifacts on the wingtips and cerci of the abdomen which can happen during. It is best to use Topaz AI with a layer so that you can adjust the strength of the effect by tweaking the layer’s opacity. Still a very nice picture of this ferocious little predator……Jim
Ted, I have been out of town for over a month and just now getting serious at looking at NPN. I don’t think I have seen a grey mantis before. I do like how the yellow in the BG makes him stand out nicely. He is giving you the eye for sure. Probably just making sure you have no intentions of harming him. Pretty nice DOF considering his position. Well done.
Thank you @Shirley_Freeman for your kind comments and for the Editor’s Pick. I thought it was an interesting image to post for critique, and I am glad you agreed.
Another one I missed earlier, and glad I’m catching it now – congratulations on the EP!! The OOF yellow flower in the BG is a potential distraction but there is some variation in color and tonality so it is interesting, and it is nicely balanced by the FG one in the opposite corner. I think it is a good candidate for a gradient burn from that corner to keep the eye in the frame.
