The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic / Expressive
About This Image
GOK. how I was out on my Ruby Wedding Anniversary in June this year … but I was :-O. Again trying to get compositions loaded with strong natural colours to steal the show. I just love the beauty and colours in the macro world, enhanced by a tiny bit of fill in flash. This is a marmalade hoverfly.
Feedback Requested
Hopefully there is a nice feeling about the pic with a bit of Wow!.
Slightly disappointed I didn’t get all the face as some was hidden inside the lavender flower. Does it matter?
Like the yellow in the background that complements the colours of the hoverfly - Split complementary colour palette is all yellow /green and lavender - on opposite sides of the colour wheel - they often don’t sit well but do make striking images.
The second image is another image from the same shoot - better hoverfly - more distracting background - which only worked by making the background a bit higher key and less saturated
Which do you prefer? Comments, suggestions , tweaks as always appreciated.
Started a little discussion on Colour Theory and different combinations- complementary, autologous etc etc.
please feel free to join the discussion if you have any experience or good resources
Technical Details
Camera: Canon Eos 90D
Lens:Canon ef f/2.8 100mm Macro
Focal length: 100
Shutter speed: 1/125
Aperture: f/11
ISO:1600
Flash: fill in
I like the first one which reveals the complex structure of the eyes. It doesn’t bother me that the lower portion of the head and mouthparts are concealed as it laps up nectar. Having the wing closest to the viewer in sharp focus adds to the comp in a very favorable way. You could even go with a more vertical comp in the first one too. The yellow green in the BG is fairly strong and grabs my eye a bit. It does however, get those lavender colors to pop. You did a good job capturing this little syrphid fly and I like both images with the edge going to the first one. Well done…Jim
Many thanks Jim
Will try and play led by your suggestions.
I don’t always understand why the complex eye shows up well in some shots and not others? Is it sharper focus, better lighting (usually flash - obviously this allows smaller apertures), getting closer? I obviously shoot at low iso wherever possible, 100 being ideal.
Topaz denoise and sharpening definitely enhances it.
Presumably using an extension tube will soften the focus a little?
It is always prominently visible with 2x and better macro, and where I stack, but I guess its luck and auto focus on single images.
Just upgraded to a Sony a7v with insect AF so we’ll see whether that helps with the eyes.
I have also gone back to a back-button AF setup which I find easier than toggling AF/MF
Regards
Huw
One limitation for getting the eye facets in sharp focus is their apparent size and the limits caused by optical diffraction at smaller apertures. You have to get very close to the subject and the closer you are to the subject, DOF becomes critical. A lot of excellent images of live insect heads are the result of stacking and most of these images are taken at night under artificial light and or multiple flashes when insects are not actively moving around. Flash also helps to reveal the curvature of the eye and brings out some of the details in the shadows too. It will be interesting to see how insect AF works with your Sony…Jim
Huw: I like both versions for their slightly different virtues. One thing that does stand out to me is the more subdued/duller color palette in the wide view. Just for fun I boosted the overall vibrance and kind of liked the result. Your DOF management works great for me for both. Please relay your experiences with the 7rV as I’m contemplating upgrading from the 7rIII and don’t have the $$$ for the 7rVI. Back to you. >=))>
Nice images Huw. The fly with its head buried in the flower is a nice point IMO with fine color and eye detail too. I like Bill’s saturation boost of the second image. Well done.
All excellent shots; I second Bill’s additions with maybe even a bit more vibrance for the hoverfly. As for the eye, I’ve never tried it, but in bright sun I wonder if you could get a catchlight in one or more of the facets? Or just insert one for fun!
Thanks - more saturated image #2 uploaded in original post- may need further colour tweaks if I get to using this image but I think I probably will go with image no1
I like the closer view, but I like seeing both of the antennae. I think for me, the best of all worlds would be the wider view, cropped, boosted similarly to Bill’s suggestion.
