Wild Cartoon like, or just the fly ?

Andy Johnson said:
Some of my pics are beginning to take on a cartoonish effect. What do you think ?
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For a 70D and f/11 (and is the 100mm the Canon 100 macro?) it looks rather lacking in microcontrast/detail or some such, possibly even a bit "plasticy" like I see if I apply too much noise reduction. Is it a big crop? How have you processed it? Do you have an unprocessed raw you could put up somewhere, or if JPEG only an OOC JPEG you could post? (unless this is an OOC JPEG of course, in which case I'd be curious to know what camera settings you used).
 
Thanks Nick. Its a canon macro and i also used extension tubes. Looking at the original i think its probably over exposed and not the best choice. Anyway heres the original jpeg
fly.JPG
 
Thanks for posting that Andy. It is slightly overexposed - you can see some blown areas around the eye.


NOT MY IMAGE - Andy Johnson fly - SOOC JPEG in Lightroom by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

So the problem is not noise reduction. I wonder if it is the illumination. It looks as though it is coming from the left, and from fairly low down - perhaps that gives it an unnatural look. It may also be a bit harsh, and that might be muting some of the detail/contrast. Here is a version where I've tried to make the lighting look more even.


NOT MY IMAGE - Andy Johnson fly - Adjusted 3 LR by gardenersassistant, on Flickr

I know this doesn't have the vignetting effect that you made in your original post, but that can be added later. It also has a lower overall contrast than yours - to some extent that is simply a taste thing as I naturally tend towards low contrast, But what I'm trying to illustrate is what sort of impact the illumination might have had on the scene, and what sort of changes a bit of post processing can make. The exact details of how it can be made to look are a matter of personal preference of course.

Anyway, FWIW here is a side by side comparison of the SOOC JPEG and the adjusted version. (There are 1300 pixel high versions of before and after over at Flickr. I find the best way to compare versions is to flick between them so one instantly replaces the other - I do this in Faststone Image Viewer for example. Alternating back and forth with one exactly overlaying the other lets you keep your eye in one place at a time and you can see the differences really jump out at you.)


NOT MY IMAGE - Andy Johnson fly - SOOC vs Adjusted by gardenersassistant, on Flickr
 
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Thanks for taking the time to have a look Nick. :) I think i may have been expecting to much from an image that should have been discarded, but i do seem to have some problems getting the light right using the extension tubes. More practise me thinks :) I also obsess about highlights specially on hairs and tend to adjust for that in PS. Anyway had a really good couple of days shooting bugs even in the wind. :)
 
Its the ring flash that seems to be the problem and how to diffuse the light but i have some ideas, its finding the time to make something at the moment. I love looking at peoples inventions though and thats a great thread. I read somewhere on here about someone having the same trouble and Timmyg giving a good explanation on diffusion. :)
 
Andy Johnson said:
Its the ring flash that seems to be the problem and how to diffuse the light but i have some ideas, its finding the time to make something at the moment. I love looking at peoples inventions though and thats a great thread. I read somewhere on here about someone having the same trouble and Timmyg giving a good explanation on diffusion. :)
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I recall that, but don't remember which thread it was in. Perhaps @TimmyG can point you to it.
 
TimmyG said:
@Andy Johnson @GardenersHelper

This one?
With some diffuse on my Ringflash
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Good stuff Tim. Thanks. Kurt's friend's arrangement for the ring flash several posts down from that may be of interest too. It is the same principle as Thomas Shahan uses for the KX800 as shown at about 3 minutes into this video. (Although, that said, I'm not any more impressed with his results with a very shiny insect - towards the end of the video - than I am with mine, and I don't really like the broad arc of light in the spider's eyes either.)
 
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