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Dragonfly

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted July 9, 201161 views7 comments

I was shooting dragonflies recently at the local park. This shot was originally intended to be almost a silhouette against a cloudy sky with just the yellow-orange patch on the wings glowing through. I started playing with the image in Lightroom and the Topaz Labs Adjust plug-in and came up with this. Generally I’m not a fan of the over-processed, stylized effects that Adjust can create. I usually try for much more subtle, natural-looking enhancements. Something about this one grabs my attention though. It reminds me a little of a drawing from an old natural history book. I think the white sky helps with that. I'd appreciate other thoughts on the processing.

Thanks,
Chris

Nikon D300S, Sigma 180mm macro lens. ISO 200, 1/250 s at f/8.

Comments

7 comments

Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on July 9, 2011 at 6:08 PM

I like the subject dragonfly and seedhead a lot. In the thumbnail the vignette is quite strong, but not quite so visible when viewing the larger sizes. Possibly would get the same effect without the whiteout on the seedhead being partially faded if you just used a white background throughout. As said, I like the subject DF, its perch and comp.

Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Grabski on July 10, 2011 at 6:19 AM

It works for me.

Registered on April 29, 2011, 122 Posts, 431 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on July 10, 2011 at 4:26 PM

The high key make this a very artistic image. The detail and dof are very good.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Jared Atencio on July 10, 2011 at 5:41 PM

Love the artistic liberties you've taken here. Looks modern, yet tasteful.

Registered on June 23, 2009, 21 Posts, 422 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on July 10, 2011 at 10:04 PM

Chris: This works great for me. Love the perch and critter and the processing looks terrific. Really well done. >=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on July 10, 2011 at 10:43 PM

Chris:
Lovely! I like the pose, the perch and the high key bg. Creative presentation. I might tone down the vignette a little though.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by Chris O'Donoghue on July 11, 2011 at 7:45 PM

Thanks for the comments, everyone. Reading your posts and thinking about it more, I'm going to revists the vignette. The real issue for me is dealing with the bottom of the grass stalk. I don't like just cutting it off sharp, but you've convinced me that this vignette is too much.

Thanks, again.
Chris

Registered on January 1, 2011, 11 Posts, 37 Comments