Hold on Tight to your Dream

Image Critiques Macro/Close-up Critiques
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Hold-on-Tight-to-your-Dream.jpg
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Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

I came across this Oriental Lesser Emperor egg-laying event on a local lotus pond today. This common behavior of the male holding on to the female has been explained as either a form of support (saving her energy, pulling her out of the water when she’s finished), and/or as mate guarding, so no other male can fertilize her eggs. I’m not sure who decides where she lays the eggs, as they fly around in tandem too. They must have pretty good rapport.

Specific Feedback

Anything.

Technical Details

D500 + 150-600mm (@550mm) 1/640 f18 ISO 1250

LR for tonalities, Denoise, Shadows/Highlights in PS. Some tidying, then cropping.

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Wow! This is a really awesome capture, Mike!

The timing, the low shooting angle, the DOF, the color, the composition, exposure, was all really well done, Mike!

What a treat!

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Nice catch! I love watching them do this. So many species either remain attached or have the male following her while she lays eggs. Fascinating. Plus now I’m singing ELO which is never a bad thing. Jeff Lynne is the bomb.

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Really nice, Mike. Excellent to get such a close view of this action. I do wish that pad with all the highlights hadn’t been behind the female, but I suspect your POV was pretty constrained for this.

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Very nice, Mike. I have yet to get an opportunity to get a shot like this.

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Thanks, @Kris_Smith . Have been watching all the old “Midnight Specials” recently on YouTube. A great soundtrack for summer snapping!Jeff Lynne really rocks.

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@Dennis_Plank @Shirley_Freeman @Merv . Thanks for your comments. Yes, the pond area (actually a small strip of water lilies beside the main lotus pond) had a lot of distracting bits and pieces and I didn’t get a shot without that lump behind the female.

2 Likes
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Mike: Great capture of the moment. I love all the supporting elements and their colors complementing the lovers. Superbly crafted image. >=))>

1 Like
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Mike at first glance I thought Green Darners, but, of course, those are North American Dragonflies… The mating/egg laying action looks very similar as they also like to lay on substrates that are underwater, but close to the surface. The pair are nice and sharp and I like that the shadows of their wings can be seen. Too bad that they don’t pose for the camera in nice, clean locations…but that’s the nature of nature. :wink:

1 Like