While shooting the first snow drops of the season I looked across our barren garden and spotted some color. On investigation I found one of our Heliborus plants practically in full bloom! Talk about a tough guy; survived the Christmas freeze and a month later is flowering like crazy. It was pretty cool so I suppose my party crasher was looking for a snug place. All comments welcome.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
I wanted more DOF but there was a slight breeze that foiled every attempt at F11 or F16 and I didn’t want to bump the ISO. I was happy to get the center of the flower and the critter on the same plane of focus.
Technical Details
Sony A7RIII
Minolta 200mm macro
ISO 400, 1/20 @ f8
Having them on the same focus plane makes it work - perfect. It looks like a shield bug of some kind. I love those guys - their shape and placement of their legs makes it so fun to watch them walk. When the suddenly snap open their elytra and fly, it’s a hoot.
Anyway…I like the wet petals at the bottom and that you’ve given some spacing between the open petal on the left and the bud behind it instead of overlapping them at all. The little sheltering bug is a nice addition to a refreshing spot of color. I wonder what giving the mid tones a lift would look like.
I like the DOF here, Bill. The focus in the center really draws the eye to it very well. That small little guy looks cold hiding in the warm leaf. I also like what appears to be the start of a new flower. Well done.
Whoa, Bill. What a delight in the midst of our winter weather. The detail in the center of the flower is exquisite. I like your POV and even though you had to settle for f/8 the flower still has plenty of detail with a soft background. Now, the hiding bug, is really just icy on the cake. Can’t wait to see your garden blooms as spring comes alive.
