Jagged Ambush (assassin) Bug

Image Critiques
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Jagged Ambush (assassin) Bug
Jagged Ambush (assassin) Bug4185×2790 2.43 MB

Weekly Challenge

Insect Portraits
6/14/26 - 6/20/26
Critique Style: Standard

The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.

Feedback Focus: Technical Help

About This Image

I am no bug expert so I’m not sure if the information about this creature is correct. I used Windows-11 Co-pilot to look it up by image so I hope it’s correct. I was going to go back into my archives to find another photo to submit but as luck would have it I was coming back into the house from my patio and this creature was on the wall. Curiosity got the best of me so I took three quick photos of it because I’d never seen anything like it. This is the one that made the cut.
I am no good at post-processing so the only things done to this are cropping of a 60.2MP original file and I tried to blur the background using the Ai feature in LrC.
This insect is a nymph of the Jagged Ambush Bug (assassin bug), Nymph/Phymata pennsylvanica, characterized by its spiny, segmented body, and raptorial forelegs. It’s a predatory insect that waits to ambush prey.
A quick note about me. My professional photographic background is studio portrait photography. But it was part-time only and I held down a full-time job as a quality assurance analyst for a major student loan organization for 20 years followed by another 10 years with a major pharmecutical and medical diagonistic device manufacturer. When I retired from the 8 to 5 I did a little more portrait photography and event photography as an opportunity freelancer before I fully retired. Since retiring almost 10 years ago, other than portraits and sports photography of my grandchildren, (8 now), I’ve turned to shooting landscape, wildlife and general nature photography.

Feedback Requested

Provide any feedback you wish. I would like any feedback about how to use the masking features in LrC to perform basic adjustments like background blur. I know a little about using the basic panel but anything more sophisticated is beyound my scope of knowledge.

Technical Details

Camera: SONY ILCE-7CR
Lens: FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS
Focal length: 400mm
Shutter speed: 1/2500s
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 2500
Used LrC (Lightroom Classic) to paint a background using the built-in Ai functionality. I realize it’s poorly done and I’m sorry.

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George: I think your ID is correct. We have these guys in our garden and on occasion when one is on a good perch I’ll give them a go. My initial and lasting impression is that this is significantly underexposed. Your camera did a nice job of rendering the BG neutral gray. I boosted the exposure in ACR (you can do the same in LR) a full 2 stops to render the bug closer to the color I’m familiar with. Of course there are probably variations of color depending on your location but I hope this gets the point across. The bug is nicely sharp and I like the texture of the BG. >=))>

George
George2000×1333 733 KB

1 Like
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George, I too have photographed these bugs as they lurked in my flower gardern waiting for prey. I’ve also seen them with small butterflies that were at least twice as big as the assassin bug. I think @Bill_Fach is right about the exposure.

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Hi @Bill_Fach & @Mark_Seaver ,

Thanks for taking time to respond. I appreciate your perspectives. I’m not sure why you all say the exposure needs boosting. What I uploaded was exactly what the original raw file looked like. I tried boosting exposure by 2 stops and it didn’t change the color at all. All it did was of course brighten images but to my eyes the creatures color didn’t change at all. I looked it up to do the ID and yes, there are differences in the color and texture depending on the region. Is possible to upload the raw file? If so I’d be happy to do so.

Thanks

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You are too kind thank you. I appreciate the processing idea. I’m not good at post but when I can I’ll give your suggestion a go.

Regards

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I don’t know the bug but do agree that the exposure boost gives a nice touch. (The histogram is usually the best clue as monitors can vary.) The software’s attempt to blur the BG was very clumsy – I suspect LR’s excellent denoise would be the place to start. I think rotating the image 180 degrees might feel natural.

1 Like