Cropped Bee

[Sanne]

Hi,
I just bought my first DSLR in August and loving it. Would appreciate some honest comments about this picture I took in October. I have not done any kind of post-production work except for cropping. This picture was also cropped and I used these specs:
Oct 15, 2011
Model: Canon EOS REBEL T3i
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/1000 sec
Aperture: 2.8
Focal Length: 50mm
Flash Used: No

Thanks!
Sanne

[KongeTorsk]

Hi Sanne, as I was checking out your picture I noticed how the wings looked almost still! That high shutter speed and low aperture did wonders for the still shot.

However, I don't feel the light is interesting in this shot enough for me to linger on it. The middle of the flower feels a bit too bright for me. Maybe it's a lack of contrast and too much saturation? I also feel the flower is more of a focus than the insect itself is. I'd suggest to try to take this picture again, but as it was done almost a month ago, you're probably out of luck there...

Maybe try some artificial flower shots to get a feel for flower images. I don't think the insect is necessary here for a good photo. However, if you want to try that again, maybe go for a fresher perspective by getting more level with the flower and revealing more of the fly's side/undersides.

Yes. That actually is a fly that mimics bees in order to scare anything wanting to eat or attack it.

[Sanne]

Thanks for taking the time to respond! Any feedback is appreciated.
Sanne

[crockny]

Nice shot -- I like the flower and the flower fly -- the light does seem off to me, too harsh and the background a little distracting ... you're off to a good start, though!

[CarlyRocksPhotos]

This photo is a good example of what a little 'pop' in post can do for a well-captured image.

Here's what I did:
-cropped to 1x1: your crop was close to a square, so square it out. This is a great format for macro or super-close compositions with flowers, who's circular geometry cries for something to balance it visually
-pulled down the exposure, bumped the curves a bit, pulled up the contrast, and in the lumination sliders adjusted the reds/yellows for a desired balance.

Hope it helps to see!

[Sanne]

Wow...I really love what you did with the picture!!! Sooooo much better and more interesting to look at Thanks!!! I can see what you guys mean by harsh light.