Dragonfly

[Dori]

Hello! I am new to this forum, a friend directed me here after my experience with a class that I have been taking through the New York Institute of Photography. The picture that I am posting was done as an assignment for this class...my instructor's comments were, let's say interesting, so I am posting the picture here, in the hopes of getting critiques from other members which I can compare to the instructors. Thanks for your help in advance!

[papanoel]

So you had "interesting" comments, eh? Well, this picture baffles me. If you don't mind my humble opinion, I'd sum it up by saying that it should be a great shot, but something ruins it. It is wonderfully focused, the pictures appear to be rendered very well, the transparent wings where you can see the grass underneath is AWESOME, the lighting is great with the sun hitting the dragonfly just about perfect, but as a whole, the picture doesn't seem to work. I don't know if it is the angle on the dragonfly making the picture too flat, or if it is too many blades of grass, or what. I think you can take a lot of things away from the picture though as having accomplished some good things.

[Paul.S.]

I think the "visual noise" created by the bright and dark contrasts on the individual blades of grass takes away from the detail and vibrancy of the dragonfly.. My eye keeps looking around instead of focusing on the dragon fly itself. I still like the shot but perhaps a different angle would have worked with the dragonfly on the grass??

[Arctirus]

I agree, it's well composed and well lit but busy. If the dragonfly were sitting on a blade of grass higher than the others so that the majority of the grass were out of focus it would be much more effective.

[maplegirlie]

In my opinion, these are the strengths of this photo:

1. The subject (dragonfly) fills the frame

2. The detail of the wings is impressive and that’s what really draws me in. This photo has got me wondering what the wings are made of. They are completely transparent and so thin. I really get a feel for how delicate and fragile the dragonfly is, even though when they've buzzed by my head, they've seemed like more small aggressive helicopters than dainty creatures.

3. I like all the green – the green grass, the green upper body, the green head.

4. Although some others have suggested that the grass should be softer (either through lighting or through aperature selection), one point to keep in mind is that in-focus grass lends a sense of scale and place (perhaps on someone's recently mowed lawn?). Also, if you shot wide open (say an f1.8), you may have lost focus on other parts of the bug itself and I like seeing the whole thing. The diagonal position of the dragonfly against the grass and the different textures and the specular reflection of the light off the wings provides enough separation between the grass and the bug, IMO.

The dragonflies I've tried to photograph in the past have not stood still very long for me! You must have been fast to get that shot.

What were the details/objective/rules of the assignment, BTW?

[Dori]

What were the details/objective/rules of the assignment, BTW?

The assingment was to:
"Make a closeup or macro picture of a flower, insect, or any other tiny object. Fill the frame with your subject...and be sure to focus precisely!"

[dadas115]

I personally think that the problem is the grass. For me something isn’t quite right with this picture. Everything seems technically good but could be better aesthetically. The grass is very busy and some parts of it really catch my attention and distract me from looking at the insect. For instance there is a piece of what looks like dead grass just in front of the dragonfly’s left front wing. There is also something that almost looks like a spider web to the left of his front left wing tip. I also think I would like to see the dragonfly less centered and possibly in a larger field of grass photographed directly from above.

I hope some of this helps,

Greg

[dadas115]

I just read what your assignment was. If it were me I would probably get a very close up shot of just his head and part of his wings. At that sort of magnification the grass shouldn’t be a problem at all since it will most likely be pretty much completely out of focus.

Greg

[Photo-John]

Dori-
Welcome to the site. I hope we can encourage and help you grow as a photographer.

I like this photo. I think the composition and exposure are perfect - and it's fun!

I understand a lot of the criticism and agree with most of it. Every photo has room for improvement and I think the main problem with this image is the grass. When I use the word, "problem," I don't mean that the grass is bad. It's just problematic, and might be improved. I agree that it would have been nice if the grass was softer. However, with the composition and focal length you used, that might not have been possible. The dragonfly is too close to most of the grass to make the grass soft. One thing that jumps out at me is the out-of-focus grass behind the dragonfly. And I notice that the tips of the far wings are soft. That suggests another possibility. Maybe it's the inconcistency that's the problem. Maybe having more depth-of-field would help. Right now there's sharp grass and soft grass, and I find that distracting. I'm thinking it should all be sharp, or the depth-of-field should be shallower. Once again - consistency is the issue. Maybe. I can't be sure without seeing it. But it's worth throwing out there and considering. Hopefully, all of this criticism will be useful next time. That's way critiques usually work.

Bottom line - I like it. In fact, I like it a lot. It's not perfect, but they never are. It's good to break down every image we take and identify what's good and what's bad, what worked and what didn't. Then, we can use that information next time to build a better photo.

Hope you find this forum useful. And I hope you take the time to offer your thoughtful criticism on someone else's photo. That's the way this thing works. Plus, you can learn a lot from critiquing other people's images

[readingr]

Reading the assignment I agree with Greg even though the Photograph has merit I'm not sure that it fulfills the assignment. A close up of the head or wings and head would probably be what was required by your tutor.

The photograph is very sharp and it looks as if the tail of this chap is still moving, fuzzy bit at the tip of the tail.

I do agree about the grass being to busy and that the dead pieces of grass grab your attention.

What were the settings on the camera, speed aperture, lens etc?

And what were your lecturers comments if printable?