Description: A rainy, breezy morning forced me to stay local and the Duck Pond was hopping with lots of bug activity in dense grass. With heavy cloud cover, I used my flash set in Balanced Light TTL at -2ev bounced off a Rogue Flash Bender. The wind created some bounce in the subjects and trying to get a focus lock was a tough task. But we prevailed and this one turned out tack sharp with some fantastic color.
Specific Feedback Requested: D850 200mm f4 Micro + flash (1/640 sec at f13, ISO 800) Topaz DeNoise AI, Levels, Shadows & Highlights, Brightness & Contrast, Crop for Comp. Damselfly is around 1.25 inches in length.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Is this a composite? (focus stacks or exposure blends are not considered composites)
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As someone who doesn’t really excel in the macro world, this is great! Clean obvious subject, the composition is put together nicely, and the features are really sharp. If I were to get really picky, the back legs and wing are a little soft which can be fixed with some focus stacking, but I know that it can be nearly impossible to do focus stacking with a subject like this. The emotional response I had was very calming. Greens tend to calm the emotions and I feel that coming through in this photo.
A real beauty, Jim. You did an outstanding job in the wind. That BG is really complimentary for the blues in the Damselfly, while picking up the green in his eyes. So glad you went to the Duck Pond and had the patience to keep shooting till you got this. The lighting is very good.
Jim: As one who finds the challenges of single capture the most satisfying aspect of photography I really like this. I also appreciate how our advanced technology makes that capture easier and more efficient. Exceptionally well done. >=))>
