I took this shot while visiting family up in Maryland in Sept. I fought off anyone trying to kill him, and ran for my camera. Photo opportunity.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Does it look over processed? Some light editing done in LR and Topaz Studio. Anything you see that I might could have done differently. Also, if anyone knows what kind of caterpillar this is, I appreciate that info.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
I wish I had got down even lower (arthritis issues in the knees causes me to not always get low enough). Do you think it is okay at this level? Composition look okay.
Any pertinent technical details:
Taken with Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 100 mm L macro lens, with KX-800 twin flash and homemade diffuser).
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
Processing looks fine to me, Shirley. I like the stone background and your depth of field was perfect for keeping the entire caterpillar in focus. Getting lower might have been nice, but only if you moved the critter enough to keep the rock from getting behind it. as I really like the background it has now.
I like this image. the color is super. the rock in the BG is a nice compliment to the yellow color of the Caterpillar. Kind of nice the way the white “V” frames the head of the caterpillar. Why oh Why would anyone want to kill this beautiful little creature?
Thank you, Ed. I used to be terrified of spiders, and now have learned more about them, and their purposes, I am not afraid and I appreciate their “beauty”. I was amazed at his face once I brought it up on my computer screen!
Shirley: A face only a mother might love . I’m OK with your POV and the DOF is perfect. Great detail in the larger version especially. Interesting BG; looks like brick and mortar but the rock puzzles me.>=))>
Shirley, the processing looks great, the colors in the cat. stand out nicely and you’ve got good details in the rock and the ground. The head up pose along with the diagonal placement add some fine extras. Getting a lower view would be a dramatically different image, with much more challenging focal plane issues.
This is excellent!
Tack-sharp front to back, 3 interesting colours and textures for the BG.
I think this perspective is ideal to be able to see the spines on it’s right side too, and more of it’s mouth.
Don’t know what kind of 'pillar it is - swallowtail, maybe - but I bet Jim Z will pipe up when he sees this !
Sandy
What you have here is an excellent shot of a Polyphemus moth caterpillar. I like the sharpness and your diffuser worked well for getting that ideal soft lighting. Well done…Jim
Thank you, Jim. I knew you would know. I was just googling caterpillars to see if I could find what it was, and had just found it when I got your comment! Thank you so much. I still need to figure out a better way to fasten my diffuser onto my camera/flash/lens setup. I am using a document protector with a sheet of copier paper (so it is very flimsy and doesn’t work that well). I do like the diffusion though, I do think it is just right.
I always try to shoot at eye level…but I feel your pain. I can always get down but getting back up…
Shirley, I think this is a great job. The angles background colors really make the subject stand out and it is very sharp. would love to see more from you like this.
Thank you, Greg, that is very kind of you. I love macro photography best of all, just because I get to see the details in these little creatures, and learn more about the world we live in as well as the Creator. Yup, that is the same problem I have, I can get down, but getting up is much harder. I am doing some exercises to help keep the muscles in my legs strong enough. It helps.
Fairly sturdy diffuser from Gary Fong. Cost $18.95 plus shipping, Works with Nikon and Canon cameras. Does not work on Sony. It fits in a “standard” flash shoe. Sony went proprietary.
Thank you, Phil. I am using twin lights, so that is the issue, only one sun, so in trying to look natural, I need one large diffuser in front of both lights. However, you got me to thinking outside the box, and shopped in my own stash of diffusers, and I have a softbox that fits on a flash (which is larger than the diffuser that you gave a link to), so I am trying it out right now, and it seems to work well, just some logistics on how to fasten it tighter to the lock-line arms of the twin flash heads, to steady it in place better. If I can’t figure out a way, I did see a softbox for flashes that does have a way I am pretty sure I can secure it, so may have to purchase it, but for right now, I am going to try to use what I own. So, you were a huge help. Thank you.
It looks to me like a scientific image rather than an artistic one, if that makes sense. The flat top-down lighting across the entire scene, not very exciting angle (feels like I’m a human looking down at it, rather than immersed in the scene), and seemingly impeccable sharpness give it a very “matter of fact” look, if that makes sense. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just the impression I get from the photo.
You already called out the angle in your post, and unfortunately I think that’s the key thing I would change. The editing and quality of the image are great, but the composition doesn’t grab me at all.
Thank you, Kyle, and welcome to NPN. I am looking forward to seeing some of your photos as well. This is a wonderful place to learn and improve on our photography. I appreciate your view of my shot. I agree, it isn’t that artistic. I have been known to move critters to a more photogenic area, but I just didn’t know how delicate he was, so I hesitated moving the little guy, as I might could injure him, hence, the more boring location and angle.
. I’m OK with your POV and the DOF is perfect. Great detail in the larger version especially. Interesting BG; looks like brick and mortar but the rock puzzles me.>=))> 