Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Blue Damsel

  1. #1
    BPN Member Christopher Miller's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    5,677
    Threads
    586
    Thank You Posts

    Default Blue Damsel



    Recently I've been photographing damselflies a lot trying to get better photos of them. It is uncanny how the damselflies see me coming and move before I can get a shot, but I have managed to get some good photos, of which this is one. Any C&C are welcome!

    Olympus SP-550 UZ
    f4.5 @ 1/60, ISO 100, -0.3 EV
    Aperture priority mode, pattern metering, cloudy WB
    Processed in PS CS2; cropped to vertical, curves adjustment, and a tiny bit of cloning on the BG

  2. #2
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Southern California
    Posts
    2,173
    Threads
    219
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Nice job catching this guy. I like the grass stem and the light. I would run some noise reduction on the bg though. Also I don't like that the body is angled away from you, but as you noted, they are often not very cooperative.

  3. #3
    Tell Dickinson
    Guest

    Default

    Nice capture showing good detail Christopher :) I wonder what it would look like if the bg was toned down a little as its quite bright on my monitor ?

    Tell

  4. #4
    BPN Member Christopher Miller's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    5,677
    Threads
    586
    Thank You Posts

    Default



    Thanks Aidan and Tell for commenting. Here's a repost following your suggestions of running NR and toning down the BG a bit. Please tell me what you think!

    Aidan, I agree with you on the angle, but this was the best shot I was able to get of this particular damselfly.

  5. #5
    Forum Participant
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Toronto, Canada
    Posts
    8,458
    Threads
    682
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Repost looks much better Christopher. Nice sharp details on the damsel, just the part about it facing away I guess. But is still really like it:) Looks like you have the highlights under control too on the bug.

  6. #6
    Julie Kenward
    Guest

    Default

    Very nice, Christopher! I do like the detail on the DF even if it is facing away you do still have good sight on the eye area so that's helpful. I am really surprised you got that DOF on the background at f4.5...amazing. I would suggest lowering it next time but I doubt you can get the whole body of the DF in focus if you do.

    Definitely like the repost better.

  7. #7
    BPN Member Christopher Miller's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    5,677
    Threads
    586
    Thank You Posts

    Default

    Julie, I find damselflies extremely tricky to get in focus because of their long bodies and wide heads, so f4.5 is really the lowest I can go and still get most of the damselfly in focus. Even then, most of my shots fail to get the entire damselfly in focus. Thanks for the comments!

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Web Analytics