The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I found this guy on my lanai screen this morning. I’m trying to nail down my macro settings using flash and focus stacking. It took me 5 attempts to get the exposure and focus range right - still a learning experience. I did miss getting his one antenna fully in focus.
Specific Feedback
Is missing the tips of the antenna a problem?
Technical Details
OM Systems OM-1, 90mm macro, 1/100sec, f5, FL600 flash in manual with AK diffuser.
15 images stacked in camera.
This image is straight out of camera with only a bit of sharping for screen viewing.
The lighting looks really cool, Steve, and I don’t really miss the tips of the antennae. You didn’t include the rear of the grasshopper in the focus stack, so it doesn’t have the appearance of a stacked image and that helps let you get away with the antennae. Nice work.
Wow, that is “in your face” look at this guy, Steve. Nice details where needed. I’m good with the antennae, like @Dennis_Plank mentioned, not all of him is in focus, so it looks fine. Really nice details in the face and eyes, and that makes it.
Steve, I’ve been thinking for some time of getting this camera for macros, partly because it is light, and also for the in-camera focus bracketing. I have learned a lot from a Swedish macro photographer called Micael Widell, on You Tube. This is his favourite camera (he hopes to get the 90mm lens soon; right now he often adds the Raynox 250 close-up lens to the 60mm macro). And he even has a review of your diffuser. He loves also how the camera and flash synch so quickly when taking the stacks - you’ve probably found that too. Anyway, your grasshopper looks great, and I agree with the others that the oof antennae are not a problem. You could of course focus bracket more shots and run them through Zerene or Helicon - you’ve probably tried this.
Really nice shot! Maybe not the most photogenic environment but with a face like that who cares? Really nice sharpness and striking colors. Focus stacking whole bugs rarely adds to the image, but a few (like here) add to the experience so don’t beat yourself up about the antenna. There’s a reason portrait photographers love a short DOF and the same principle applies to insect portraits as well.
Thanks all for you helpful comments. Since this guy had been sitting in that position for a while I thought I had enough time to do a quick Lightroom review to check how well I’d done, and then go back and do a more careful focus bracket. He was gone though a short time later.
Note that his right back leg is missing. That seems to be rather common for the Lubers I’ve seen here in FL. Maybe fighting over a mate???
There is a light area on his face that didn’t stack so well. The Helicon stack of the raw images did a better job with that but not significant enough for a repost. The overall detail was a tad better as well.
Mike Friel: Yes, that camera and lens are truly an amazing combination. Before I went for the 90mm I watched several videos by Chris McGinnis that you should definitely check out. He uses the Cygnustech diffuser but I found a comparison to the AK diffuser which transmits a bit more light. Also it’s made here in FL.
What’s really cool is how the camera will pause the focus bracket if the flash doesn’t have enough power for the next shot and then quickly resumes the sequence.
Steve, this is a fine head-on look at a very interesting looking grasshopper. Losing the tips of the antennae is not important when you have this much detail in the head/face. Helicon also has a problem with things behind a bright area showing through. In the largest view, I do see some “haloing” around the legs. That is most often seen around high contrast edges. In Helicon, you can fix this with some careful cloning.
What an interesting face!! That’s enough to carry the image, but it would be easy to copy the good antenna and rotate and add it as a masked layer to extend the bad one.
