The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I came across this very small bee gathering pollen. I had intended to photograph a stack of the Asian Fawnlily (the only wild Erythronium I’ve seen in Korea), but this feeder caused me to switch to single shots. It seemed to strip a large amount of the dark pollen before moving on.
Specific Feedback
I couldn’t avoid a busy background so had to make adjustments to it later. Does it need more toning down?
Technical Details
OM-1 + 60mm macro 1/640 f13 ISO 800
I selected the flower, stalk and bee and gave them tonal treatment in LR and PS. To tame the separated BG I applied a Field Blur in PS, reduced the Brightness and desaturated a little.
Mike, this is another fine view of a “Trout Lily” (Erythronium sp.). The purple flower is a nice change of pace from the yellow flowers in North America and Europe. It and the bee stand out nicely. The background look right, especially the leaf. I’m interested that they seem to be one of the early spring flowers and have a worldwide distribution
Nice job handling the rather harsh light, Mike. that bee working the dark pollen is really a cool addition. I might have been tempted to crop this more tightly to show off the bee better as I don’t feel the leaf adding much to this version of the image which seems to be about the flower and the bee. That would also make th ebackground a bit easier to handle.
Mike, that is a good title for this image. I probably also would have tried cropping in more, because that is more my style, if I have a bee or something in it I try to get closer and bring it out, but after viewing this for a bit, I think you made a good choice. The flower and the bee are both subjects I think, and you would have lost part of the flower trying to make it the bee. You did a good job with the relatively harsh light. Nicely done.
Thanks @Mark_Seaver@Dennis_Plank and @Shirley_Freeman . I thought about cropping out the lower part, but preferred the balance of flower and bee in this version. Dennis, yes I did a couple of stacks. I used a card again for one of them, but don’t think it looks natural enough. This flower is easier to show when growing on a steep slope, allowing a BG of sky. Maybe I’ll find one later. Here’s a small stack showing a general view:
I was very careful not to disturb the area much, and returned the plant to its original messy state (surrounded by natural detritus) as these are pretty sensitive and rare; I don’t want anyone being tempted to dig one up for the garden.
It looks like something I was photographing at a club field trip to the state capitol grounds. Unfortunately, their gardeners are inordinately fond of “beauty bark” which is a gross misnomer.
I like the looks of the leaves much better in this image than the view with the bee where the partial leaf looks very washed out (probably the angle and reflected light).
There’s an oak woodland near here with our local version and I need to get out there next week to see if they’re in bloom. They should be close.
I like how the bee is set off by the leaf in the bg. Helps her not get lost. The purple colors work well with the greens and browns…unexpected. These guys are still waiting to make their appearances here.
Mike: Aptly titled and superbly captured. I like the comp and colors and don’t think I would crop. The only thing that distracts me is the dark shadow in the LLC. Not sure what you could do about that but it’s a small 1¢ nit. Nicely done. >=))>
