The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Ok. I regret not taking my flash with me when I went on the trail today and encountered this glorious little beetle. I’ve never seen one before and I really struggled to get any photos that aren’t terrible. I actually had the flash in my hand and then put it down thinking it would be too much to carry around for a casual walk (I was really checking the trail for maintenance issues as I’m a volunteer for the Ice Age Trail and I walked my segment). Anyway…I will bring the darn thing next time. It would have let me use lower ISOs and smaller apertures for better DOF. Ugh.
So, this is a Golden Net-winged beetle (Dictyoptera aurora) and it really is that red and about 1 cm long (why it’s called Golden is confounding). The texture on the elytra is wonderful and it was really lively while I was with it. That was also part of the issue - it kept moving all over, doing its thing. I gave up shooting and went down the trail only to turn back and that’s when I got the take off shot. I guess it was pretty fed up with me, but oh my what a lovely little creature.
Specific Feedback
Mostly I’m just showing these single frame shots because I don’t think I could have gotten them with the 45mm f/2.8 macro. The magnification is really different and I was a few inches away from the little guy rather than having to be practically touching it. Of course any processing advice is welcome.
Technical Details
Handheld and boy was my movement obvious with this lens. Gah.
Lr for wb correction and small crops for both as well as some denoise and sharpening. Masking to reduce exposure in some of the lighter parts of the decaying log. Texture and clarity, but not a lot.
These are both amazing in spite of the challenges you faced. I’ve found your earlier insect images likewise! My only feedback is that you might tone down the highlights in the first image’s wood. It keeps drawing my eye.
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Ok. I regret not taking my flash with me when I went on the trail today and encountered this glorious little beetle. I’ve never seen one before and I really struggled to get any photos that aren’t terrible. I actually had the flash in my hand and then put it down thinking it would be too much to carry around for a casual walk (I was really checking the trail for maintenance issues as I’m a volunteer for the Ice Age Trail and I walked my segment). Anyway…I will bring the darn thing next time. It would have let me use lower ISOs and smaller apertures for better DOF. Ugh.
So, this is a Golden Net-winged beetle (Dictyoptera aurora) and it really is that red and about 1 cm long (why it’s called Golden is confounding). The texture on the elytra is wonderful and it was really lively while I was with it. That was also part of the issue - it kept moving all over, doing its thing. I gave up shooting and went down the trail only to turn back and that’s when I got the take off shot. I guess it was pretty fed up with me, but oh my what a lovely little creature.
Specific Feedback
Mostly I’m just showing these single frame shots because I don’t think I could have gotten them with the 45mm f/2.8 macro. The magnification is really different and I was a few inches away from the little guy rather than having to be practically touching it. Of course any processing advice is welcome.
Technical Details
Handheld and boy was my movement obvious with this lens. Gah.
Take off -
Top down view -
Lr for wb correction and small crops for both as well as some denoise and sharpening. Masking to reduce exposure in some of the lighter parts of the decaying log. Texture and clarity, but not a lot.
Kris: I can see you gravitating to the long side! Great captures, especially the take off shot. A tiny 1¢ nit is the dust spot(?) on the wing. On the take off I also like the shallow DOF. Single capture is still cool in my book. >=))>
Will see about the light bits in the wood again, I did take them down quite a bit in spots and they started to look a bit muddy, but maybe I can make something work.
This is a very interesting little character Kristen. In my southern world I don’t see bright colours on many insects, just browns, greens, and blacks to blend in with the gloomy green bush
The second image is great, and your focus on the head is spot on. As you probably know, significant depth of field is not my thing as I mostly like to focus on just that bit(s) of an image that you want to draw attention to. High fives to shallow DOF
Cheers.
Hi, what a treat. That beetle is absolutely splendid, the kind of red that makes you suspect nature occasionally over orders paint and has to use it up somewhere. The texture on the elytra in the first frame is just gorgeous, those finely engraved ridges and that mesh like surface look almost woven, as if the little creature were dressed for a formal occasion. And the second image, oh that one is a small miracle. Catching the moment of liftoff with both elytra flared and the membranous wings half unfurled is the kind of shot that makes the rest of us mutter unkind things under our breath. Frustration with the lens or not, you nailed a behavior frame that most of us would lunge for and miss entirely.
I sympathize deeply about the flash. There is a special law of nature that ensures the moment you decide to travel light is precisely the moment something extraordinary turns up, beautifully lit by the wrong kind of light, doing the wrong kind of thing, exactly at the edge of your minimum focusing distance. The beetle clearly read the memo. It is a rite of passage really, and the next time you stuff that flash into your bag for a casual stroll you will encounter nothing more exciting than a tired pigeon. The universe enjoys these little jokes.
For what it is worth, I do not think these shots are anywhere near terrible. The first has lovely detail where it counts, the eye reads the subject cleanly, and the bokeh on the bark is soft enough to let that red sing. The second has motion, drama, and a sense of personality that no perfectly sharp static portrait could match. A little selective sharpening on the eye and the leading edge of the elytra in the takeoff shot might add a touch more bite, and perhaps a gentle nudge down on the highlights where the red verges on glowing, but honestly these are quibbles.
Lovely encounter, and a wonderful little ambassador for the Ice Age Trail. Thank you for sharing.
Oh how it does. The timesI don’t take my long telephoto are the times a bear or bear riding a unicorn will appear. These days I’ve taken to leaving it on the camera in the front seat when I’m on the move to go kayaking or whatever because I’ve gotten great shots of various birds on roadsides.
Anyway…I won’t forget it next time. Certainly was a challenge to get these images and I appreciate your feedback and thoughts about them.
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