Carder bee

[Jonathan Ashton]

Camera Model Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/200
Av(Aperture Value) 11
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation -1/3
ISO Speed 640
Auto ISO Speed OFF
Lens EF180mm f/3.5L Macro USM
Flash On
Flash Type External Flash : E-TTL flash metering
E-TTL II flash metering Evaluative flash metering
Flash Exposure Compensation -1 1/3

The bees love these thistles, image taken in the back garden

[John Robinson]

Nice Carder bee Jon apart from the rear wiung a bit out, but for me the colour and size of the thistle. seems to overpower everything else.
JohnR

[Diane Miller]

Same thought on the thistle, but the bee is wonderful! I wonder about toning down the reds (don't know your thistles but ours are a more subdued pink) or cropping out maybe half of the thistle. I'd go vertical in that case and remove some of the negative space on the left as well.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Jon, if you have it then a tad more on the RHS to balance the comp, I also like the juxtapose of scale here, it illustrates the size of objects in view. If you drop the Saturation I doubt you will achieve much other than decreasing the intensity, just depends on what you want to achieve in making any adjustments. I'm guessing you can get more '*clarity' within the stems, but still retaining the nice vibrancy.

Jon, I might suggest you try more 'native' ISO when doing this rather than in between ISO's, here I would have gone to 800.

Good luck with the monitor. :w3

TFS
Steve

* Note - not using Clarity, this is just a term, not a reference to an adjustment.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks very much for your constructive comments everyone - much appreciated.
When I took the image recall how vivid the colours were but as you point out probably not quite so vivid as I originally conveyed. When I presented the image I think on reflection I was trying to be as minimalist as possible in regard to changing what was captured and the fact that my capture was a little OTT had not fully registered!
Here is a repost which I think is pretty close to reality on the day. I think the recrop improves presentation.
The thistle is a decorative sort - not the typical wild thistle we see in fields so the colour is more magenta than might be imagined. I have to tell you it several conversions to get this, I tried repeatedly in DPP and ACR before deciding on this one.
I appreciate your comments relating to the bee being overpowered by the flower head but that was partly the purpose of making the post, i.e. this is a small carder bee not a larger bumble bee.

[Steve Kaluski]

Here is a repost which I think is pretty close to reality on the day.

Hi Jon, my question is - do YOU now like/prefer the RP and therefore it's a 'positive' move forward?

My only thought now was, based on the RP:
- To bring the green to meet the stem, and loose the brown buff area lower RHC???
- Somewhere between the two for the actual 'sphere' of the base of the flower to bring back some 'tonal' depth/form??
- Somewhere between the two for the 'ochre' colour of the Carder??

[Jonathan Ashton]

Hi Jon, my question is - do YOU now like/prefer the RP and therefore it's a 'positive' move forward?

My only thought now was, based on the RP:
- To bring the green to meet the stem, and loose the brown buff area lower RHC???
- Somewhere between the two for the actual 'sphere' of the base of the flower to bring back some 'tonal' depth/form??
- Somewhere between the two for the 'ochre' colour of the Carder??

Steve I already did some blending on the RHS towards the bottom corner, quite happy with it - seems natural to me. Content with the colours as is.

[Steve Kaluski]

quite happy with it - seems natural to me. Content with the colours as is.

Great, if questions are not asked then sometimes you are just left thinking 'What if?' :cheers: