The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I bought a new 24-200 lens today for my Z50 today and wanted to give it a whirl in my garden.
There is so much green that the only way I could get a decent shot on this fella was waiting until he landed on a colorful Zinnia.
Specific Feedback
To isolate the dragonfly from the BG, I had to isolate it, invert the selection, then reduce the greens in the foliage. This required some clever selection feathering and a tad of selection by color range.
Did I leave enough green in the foliage?
Technical Details
Nikon Z50, 24-200 @ 92mm, f/6.3, 1/1600, ISO 500 (gloomy, overcast-post rain).
I generally shoot a higher shutter to compensate for my Essential Tremors and my broken right wrist which is still healing.
I didn’t do much in ACR as I knew I was going to have to do more work in PS and TK Actions. Nothing major, just tweaking here and there.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
What incredible colours on this 'fly! That intense green is beautiful. You did well to find some colour behind him, and the pink sets him off perfectly. Nice detail where it really matters,
You could have used more DOF to try to get the tail more in focus, but that - to me - is a minor detail with this great image.
Very well-done!
Thanks on both comments. True to their nature, this one was jumping from flower to flower not giving me much time to make any adjustments, which as you pointed out, needed one more stop. At 1/1600 I had plenty of room. There are so many in my garden, I should be able to recreate this shot.
As to the intense green, I got this by doing a select by color range only on the body, then gave it a color balance adjustment followed by a brightness and contrast adjustment. Isolating the BG, I was able to dim the greens in the leaves to further emphasize the body.
Yeah, congratulations on the new gear. Looks like a very useful walking around lens that can do almost everything.
Green and pink - excellent combination. Makes me think of the Preppy look back in the early 80s. This is kind of like that and the perfect pop song at the same time. Fun to just look. Lively and full of energy.
Getting a bit more parallel to the whole might have been better, but when it’s this sunny, they don’t sit still for long. You got the important bits crisp, so the photo works for me. I really like the slightly curled petals of the zinnia, too. Adds a lot of depth and interest. Taking down the saturation in the background is something I’ve just started playing with myself to do the same; reduce attention there. There is still a sense of a vibrant garden though so nice job.
Pretty good shot with a new lens while getting used to it. I know sometimes when I get new equipment I don’t necessarily get the best shots first time out with it. I think you did well. As you mentioned they don’t always sit still for a photo shoot, and so remembering quickly to change the sitting can easily be overlooked. I like his pose and how the flower is diagonal in proportion to the DF.
I wasn’t as sharp as I like to be on close-ups, but I’ getting used to a new camera as well as a new lens. It will take some learning time, but I think as easy as this camera is to use, I’ll be there in no time.
Chris: I like your choices here. You have good focus on the eye which IMO is critical for dragonfly shots. More DOF may have given more definition to the BG which I think would be a net loss. I’ve found that chasing dragons is often frustrating and counterproductive. They are very territorial and will often return to a perch after making their rounds. If I find a good perch I’ll set up there and try to get the site aligned with the general direction the dragon has been landing. I find they tend to look the same way on each landing as well. Congrats on the new gear, you’re off to a really good start. >=))>
Very neat image, Chris, and I applaud your processing-it worked very well to separate the dragonfly from the green background without making the background greens look unnatural.
Very nice! A nice reward with the new toy! The flower is lovely without competing. All said above, but I would add that reducing contrast on an isolated BG is often a good companion or alternative to lowering saturation. Selective Color is a wonderful tool!
I can see lightening the darker flower on the right edge. If I cover it with my fingers the DF and flower stand out even more.
