Damselfly

[Todd Frost]

D200, 28-105 @105, f7.1, 1/250, iso400, man exposure.
Would have been nice to have wings in focus, next time:D.

Thanks for looking, comments and critiques appreciated.

Todd

[Bruce Murden]

Todd - I like the comp, with pano really helping this subject. I agree wings in focus would have been nice, but tough to do without the BG coming into focus. The OOF FG (LR) helps, but for me the brigher round OOF BG behind the damselfly deistracts. I also think the main green stem is too bright compared to the insect -- can you make the blue really pop, or decrease the luminance of the green stem? Minor tweaks to be sure.

[Ed Vatza]

Hi Todd,

Yes it looks like you didn't quite hit the plane of the d-fly spot on. The head looks good but focus does deteriorate as well move toward the back. I also would like to a little less business in the background on the right side of the images. I do think the pano crop works very well here.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Todd, agree with others, and you've already mention the need for more focus on the wings. The pano does work well here. Good details on the head which is critical for critter shots. Keep em coming.

[Julie Kenward]

Agree with the others...more focus on the insect and less on the surrounding habitat. Also, you have quite a few very small hot spots on the main stem so be careful of your exposure next time. Check that histogram right after you make the image and look for blinking spots!

Dragonflies are one of the hardest insects to photograph so keep trying - it definitely takes practice. I'd say you got a good first attempt here, you just need a little more practice (don't we all!)

[Bob Reimer]

I'm afraid the panorama doesn't do much for me. If the damsel had been closer to the tip of the grass stalk and the tip of the stalk was in the frame, I'd like it better.

As someone who studies odonata, the first thing that caught my eyes were the red spots ... are they mites or part of the colouration of this particular species? While the abdomen is out of the plane of the grass stem and therefore out of focus, there is still enough detail to see that you've got a female since the ovipositor is visible. Unfortunately, I don't know my North American odonata well enough to help with an ID.

Warm regards,
Bob