Tachinid Fly - Edited Thrice

Image Critiques Macro/Close-up Critiques
1

MtGrahamTachinid-(2)
MtGrahamTachinid-(2)1729×2000 1.07 MB

Edit 3

MtGrahamTachinid
MtGrahamTachinid1729×2000 1.01 MB

Edit 2

MtGrahamTachinid
MtGrahamTachinid1468×2000 967 KB

Edit 1

MtGrahamTachinid-topaz-denoise.jpg
MtGrahamTachinid-topaz-denoise.jpg1468×2000 1.05 MB

Original

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

This is from last week from 9,000 feet up on the top of Mt. Graham in SE Arizona. It was working on a Richardson’s Geranium in the shade of some tall pines.

Specific Feedback

I’ve lost the wing tip on the right against the BG a bit when I applied Topaz denoise. BG/FG too busy? Any suggestions or recommendations for this or future similar opportunities are welcomed.

Technical Details

Canon R5, f10, 1/1600s, iso 12800, 100-500+1.4tc at 700 mm with pretty big crop from landscape to portrait orientation. Topaz denoise.

Critique Template

Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.

  • Vision and Purpose:
  • Conceptual:
  • Emotional Impact and Mood:
  • Composition:
  • Balance and Visual Weight:
  • Depth and Dimension:
  • Color:
  • Lighting:
  • Processing:
  • Technical:
2

Wonderful capture with nice detail! There is still some BG noise and it seems uneven in places. Which algorithm did you use? At the Model Preferences? It pays to compare them, scanning around the image at 100%.

It would be a bit tedious but I think some contrast reduction on the top 1/4 or so would be a nice touch. Cloning at 50% or lower opacity can work wonders for simplifying a busy BG. The pre-crop version might give more choices of clone sources.

3

Amazing details, Ed. Very sharp on the subject and nicely framed. The high ISO and long FL lens explains some of the background noise. I have Denoise but replaced it with Photo AI, it works better with more noise. The white flower in the lower left draws my eye away from the main subject. Maybe cropping or clone out would help.

4

Very good, Ed. the fly and geranium are perfect and the revised version got rid of the weird shadow in the upper part. If you have the pixels I could see a tighter crop to get rid of the second flower and the bright green out of focus stem in the upper left, maybe something like this:

Ed-MtGrahamTachinid copy
Ed-MtGrahamTachinid copy1093×1349 295 KB

5

Thank you @Dennis_Plank, I like your crop. I’m surprised, but it seems to have enough pixels to hold up to it. I noticed some extra shadowing in my first edit at the tail of the fly that I didn’t like, so I trimmed that down a bit more too.

6

Ed: Crazy good detail on the fly and the tighter crop works well. I might also make the small party crasher go away as for me it doesn’t add any interest and is a small distraction. Overall well done. >=))>

7

Ed, the newest version is by far the best.
Really excellent detail here.

8

Thank you @Bill_Fach and @SandyR-B. I took out the little interloper as you’ve suggested Bill. Much cleaner.