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Lestid on Equisetum
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Lestid on Equisetum

by Jim Zablotny

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted January 6, 2013147 views4 comments
I photographed this lestid at dusk and the RAW image was under-exposed by 1.5 stops. I almost gave it the trash can treatment until I saw some life in the image while playing around in Light Room. With some processing in Light Room and post-processing in Photoshop, I was able to salvage a very intriguing image. The background is the surface of a pond which was reflecting the pinkish-gray color from the cloud cover. The image reminds me of a Japanese rice paper print. (Pentax K10d, 300mm DA* f4, plus 32mm extension)......Jim

Comments

4 comments
Comment posted by Paul Wolf on January 6, 2013 at 9:12 AM
Jim, I like your treatment and composition, here. The BG is a bit underwhelming for me, but I do believe the rest of the image makes up for it because the lestid is so intriguing in and of itself and you have captured it very well. The eyes, wings and stalk are quite sharp and most of the body is acceptably sharp. I'm glad you didn't process this to the Recycle Bin!
Registered on December 31, 2012, 13 Posts, 44 Comments
Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on January 6, 2013 at 11:17 AM
Thanks Paul. The background took some getting used to, but I liked that this image appeared more like a colored pencil illustration than a photograph.

As Always,

Jim
Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on January 6, 2013 at 11:56 AM
Excellent job processing this one, Jim. Yes, the bg is a bit bland, but perfect for setting off the colors and impressive detail in the DF. :toast:
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by Roberto Facchini on January 8, 2013 at 4:21 PM
I like the sharpness of the dragonfly (head and thorax above) and the contrast of colors between dragonfly and Equisetum. Also I think the background is a little too light, but on the other hand gives the image its own peculiarities.
Registered on November 15, 2012, 35 Posts, 202 Comments