Little Hopper

[Jim Bridges]

They are only a 1/2 inch long. Some are really shy and others let you move in fairly close...this one was the latter and stayed for a few photos.

D80, Tamron 180/3.5, f11, 1/25s, ISO 100, from a tripod in natural light. PP NX 2.

113005

[Allen Sparks]

Hi Jim, I really like this. Nice color on the hopper and great BG. I also like the subject placement in the frame. Very well done!

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Jim. You have beautiful light, nice comp, and a clean background. I'm being pretty picky here, but I would wish for a little more sharpness and detail on your hopper - you might see if a little additional sharpening helps.:S3: Overall, this is very nicely done.

[Bob Miller]

Jim....Nicely handled! The bg is really nice and works well with the color of the hopper. I too would like to see more sharpness in the hopper. Make sure you are not too close for the lense to focus sharply. What is it's close focusing distance? You might also consider removing that black spot midway down its back...if you are Ok with doing that kind of thing. Looking forward to seeing more of your work!

[Jim Bridges]

Thanks a lot for the comments Allen, Steve, and Bob! It may need a bit more sharpening, but I didn't want to go too far. If I can see the tiny hairs on the legs...it's good enough for me.:bg3: This a dull colored little guy anyway and part of it's camouflage in the grasses of the prairies. Bob, the black spot is part of it's coloration and belongs there like the spots in the eyes.:w3 The 180 has 19" working distance at 1:1 but in the real world with the lens hood attached it's only about 10". I manual focus and don't remember being at the limit. In the Exif the max Aperture Value is 4.30 so it was probably pretty close to the close focus limit. Thanks again for the the comments they are always very much appreciated.

[Ken Childs]

Hi Jim, I agree with the others that this looks good as is but that a little more sharpening is needed to make it look great. A simple fix will make this one shine!