Rhagio Fly

Image Critiques Macro/Close-up Critiques
1

I believe that is type of fly this is. Taken during the summer. Cropped full vertical from a horizontal. 5D$, 100mm, f/4, 1/50, ISO 800, tripod

What technical feedback would you like if any?

any

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

any

200614_C2A5788
200614_C2A57881000×1500 823 KB

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

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2

David, I’m not sure what kind of fly it is, but reminds me of a Robberfly. Whatever kind he is, I do love how you captured him on a nice green blade of grass, with a very nice smooth green background. At f4, it is a shallow DOF, but the sharpness is right where it needs to be. Great shot, in my opinion.

3

I David, I do like the green theme here also, putting the insect in a natural habitat and showing him off well. Very nice composition with those big eyes commanding attention. The most important parts are sharp but choosing a smaller aperture would have provided more detail on the rest of his body, if desired.

4

Love the details in the eye, which I assume is the main theme here. shallow dof works well for that. It would be interesting to see how it would look like with a smaller aperture. Love the green background and the perch.

5

Thanks @Shirley_Freeman, @ravi, and @Jim_Lockhart. More dof seems important. I appreciate that. As you know it is tricky at times because you dont get a lot of chances with some subjects. But I do understand that suggestion and will keep ii in mind.

1 Like
6

David: As one who likes and appreciates shallow DOF this works for me. The key is having a sharp eye on the subject and that is accomplished nicely here. More DOF would be different but not necessarily better. A fine find and result. :+1: :+1:>=))>

7

David,
With all the things that can mess up this type of shot from wind to access to a skittish subject, you came up with a great capture and as mentioned the background works well with help from the shallow DOF. The opinions on the shallow DOF are all valid however to me the framing choice with this much negative space is not conducive to the subject as presented and might work better with a tighter crop. You may also consider additional ways to bring the shallow DOF more into focus (pun intended) by eliminating conflicting elements such as lighting, contrast and subject rotation. With your permission, I have quickly applied my ideas to your outstanding image for illustration and comparison of these possible alternatives. David LeRoy - Fly|690x460

8

Thanks @Bill_Fach and @Mike_Ramy. Yes Mike is right there are many things that can impact a choice of camera settings including DoF. But I think it is good to keep in mind aperture settings especially in the moment.
And Mike that is definitely a different take on the subject. Some aspects I really like such as how adding the black among other changes really brings out more detail on the fly’s back. After looking at your impressive website I would suggest that the two versions are aspects of individual style as much as anything. Well done. I like the black.