Ladybug and Lunch

[chicagojohn]

This is a shot I took at the base of a twisted filbert tree this past weekend when it first started to warm up here in Chicagoland. The background is a maple leaf left over from the fall.

My questions are:

1. What do you think of the crop
2. Is the specular reflectance on the ladybug shell a distraction or illustrative of the shine
3. Do you think the tone is too yellow
4. Composition in terms of placement of the subject -- the aphid; trying for rule of thirds
5. Any other improvement suggestions
6. Is the use of negative space effective

EXIF ETC
Pentax K100D Super
Tamron 90mm Macro w/ 2X Vivitar teleconverter (~ 2:1 magnification ratio)
Aperture Manual at f/11
Shutter Speed 1/80
ISO 800
Lighting direct sunlight ~ 11 am
Crop 100%

[Wooglah]

I don't know, with macro I always end up looking in the center of the photo, and your subjest is almost out of the frame. I see what you have tried to do, but am not sure if I like it. Maybe you should have go down to your subjects level, and take the photo from that angle, and not from the top?

[chicagojohn]

Originally Posted by Wooglah

I don't know, with macro I always end up looking in the center of the photo, and your subjest is almost out of the frame. I see what you have tried to do, but am not sure if I like it. Maybe you should have go down to your subjects level, and take the photo from that angle, and not from the top?

That's an interesting angle, Wooglah. Thanks for your comment, and I'll keep that in mind next time.

[Jo.T]

I'm not sure that it tells enough of the story you have suggested i can just make out that it is a ladybug and butt shots are never a good angle, maybe rotate 180deg or flip it so it is coming rather than going. Your focus seem a little off,a bit soft maybe? Had a quick look at your flickr page I like the full version much better and that seem a bit sharper so could be the result of cropping and you high ISO. Try and keep your ISO low, If you need more shutter speed pop the flash and use a defuser which can be as easy as wrapping a tissue around it. Check out DYI camera equiptment on here im sure they will have heaps of suggestions.
I look forward to seeing more of your work on flickr, keep shooting and have fun.

[chicagojohn]

Originally Posted by Jo.T

I'm not sure that it tells enough of the story you have suggested i can just make out that it is a ladybug and butt shots are never a good angle, maybe rotate 180deg or flip it so it is coming rather than going. Your focus seem a little off,a bit soft maybe? Had a quick look at your flickr page I like the full version much better and that seem a bit sharper so could be the result of cropping and you high ISO. Try and keep your ISO low, If you need more shutter speed pop the flash and use a defuser which can be as easy as wrapping a tissue around it. Check out DYI camera equiptment on here im sure they will have heaps of suggestions.
I look forward to seeing more of your work on flickr, keep shooting and have fun.

Thanks, Jo. Excellent advice. However, when you are focusing at the distance I was using a 1:1 macro jacked up to 2:1, a pop-up flash isn't of much use do to parallax.

Also, I amazed you could see the aphid's butt! I'll have to take another look at it.

But, again, I really appreciate your comments and advice!