Which one?

[dadas115]

I am very interested to know which of these two pictures people here like best and if anyone has any pos-processing suggestions that might make them better.

By the way, the composition is important to me as I want the main subject to be small in the frame.

Thanks,

Greg

[jar_e]

Greg,

That's a tough choice. I'm going to choose number one though if you crop off the branches to the left. There a tad distracting and I think the crop works with the bird on the left hand side of the frame. It definately stands out on that green/gray background. The second one, I love the colors, the subject matter is great, it's just I would've liked the DOF to be a little more. I love the motion of it's wings, and it's just a good pic, minus the DOF.

That's my thoughts,

Jared

[anew]

Greg,

great photos, congrats

if i was to pick one, i would go for the second image - the colours are just sublime and the detail is so strong. composition is spot on too.

excellent work

the left of the image on the first is a little distracting, minor detail, but it doesn't have the same impact as the second image. I just love those colours!

cheers
anew.

[Butty]

I like most second one (with bird). And you asked about postprocessing? well, you maybe should emphasize green there.

[terryger]

both are great shots. however.

the bug looks to be disjointed from or even superimposed on the leaf plate. they could be two differnt and spectacular stand alone shots.

the bird shot has 2 different dof sections working against each other.

the close is great if you look at the left and the far is good if you look at the right. if you look at the whole it distarcts from the bird.

i am still in the basic composite section personally so i will have to pass on postproduction.

[CaraRose]

Hi,

I like the first one but also find the branches on the left distracting. I think it would be less so if they weren't blurred out slightly. It's less the branches that keep drawing my eye from the bird than the blurred section of the branches.

I love the second one, great colors, great capture. If I tried to get a bee or insect, I'd wind up with a unintelligible blur!

[corrie]

I love the colours of both pictures.

The bird stands out in the first photo. I would probably crop the left (as other ppl replied already), so the bird is more on the top left of the photo. Colour is really great though.

Although I am not too fond of insects being the subject, I just find myself falling more and more in love with your 2nd photo. The vivid colour of the fly and the contrasting leaf just attracts me. I would vote 2nd photo over the 1st.

Can I ask what tool or method do you use to take such close-up photos of the little subject? And I suppose the fly is moving at quite some speed too. How do you catch it in the right place with such good focus?

Corrie

[opus]

why don't I see two pictures? I only see one.


~edit~ after I posted, suddenly the second picture showed up. weird.

[dadas115]

Kelly,

Which one do you like better now that you have seen both?

Corrie,

I used a Canon Digital Rebel XT and EF-s 60mm f/2.8 macro USM lens and some luck to get the flying fly picture. The fly was actually sitting on the leaf when I took the picture but I guess the flash startled him and he jumped up in the air. Luckily he was still in the plane of focus when the exposure was made. I wish I could claim that my reflexes were that fast, but this one was just dumb luck.

Greg