Critique A spider and a fly

[TimmyG]

Not together though (luckily for the fly). Just a couple of recent stacks to share:

Amaurobius sp. (similis?) by Tim.Garlick, on Flickr

Common Drone Fly by Tim.Garlick, on Flickr

 

[Tintin124]

Wow... you have gone into Stacking mode since getting the M3

Spider is my favourite, think the shadows/blacks could do with a tad lifting on the fly but detail is immense as per usual and lighting is divine.

 

[G.K.Jnr.]

Couple of great shots Timmy, really fine detail and very good stacking work.

George.

 

[Paul Iddon]

Great shots m8.

The fly is a dronefly isn't it, one of the Eristalis?

Paul.

 

[TimmyG]

Wow... you have gone into Stacking mode since getting the M3

Spider is my favourite, think the shadows/blacks could do with a tad lifting on the fly but detail is immense as per usual and lighting is divine.

Thanks Bryn, yeah I'm really enjoying stacking with it as it's a bit more comfortable to use with the tilting screen. I can't believe what a difference it makes.

I know what you mean about the shadows, I did try lifting them more, but it began to take on that over-cooked HDR look, so I dropped them back down again and settled on the more natural look. I think it's because the background is quite bright in this, it was basking in the late afternoon sun, the subject itself looks quite dark.

Couple of great shots Timmy, really fine detail and very good stacking work.

Thanks George, much appreciated.

Great shots m8.

The fly is a dronefly isn't it, one of the Eristalis?

Paul.

Cheers Paul. Yes, Eristalis pertinax to be precise. I had it tagged as E.tenax initially but was quickly corrected by my hoverfly expert friend. This one has orange feet!

 

[Paul Iddon]

Cheers Paul. Yes, Eristalis pertinax to be precise. I had it tagged as E.tenax initially but was quickly corrected by my hoverfly expert friend. This one has orange feet!

That's the giveaway for them m8, I realised that a while after but thought you'd soon suss it, so didn't bother editing the reply


Paul.

 

[alfbranch]

Very nice shots Tim

 

[GardenersHelper]

The big version of the fly is wonderful in its detail and coverage of the subject. Were the captures flash? (I'm thinking of the time needed for them) or natural light? (I'm wondering about a burst with hand movement). I'd love to know more about the technique you used for this.

Does the spider stack lose definition on the front of the abdomen? It looks like there is plenty of detail on the cephalothorax and nearer, and on the mid to rear of the abdomen. But it looks like the ? top segments of the rear legs and the front of the abdomen don't have detail. Or am I mis-seeing this?

 

[Neil Burnell]

Awesome stacks Tim, the spider is really good. Tho only minor crit on the fly is the front leg which is furthest away, I'd be tempted to blur this one out as it looks a little odd with the leg and small section of wood being sharp.

 

[ChrisA]

Good stack of the Spider and fly. One point on the fly is there's a visible stacking error line near the legs by the look of it. (Bright line) - I'd clone it out to perfect the shot.

 

[TimmyG]

Very nice shots Tim

Thanks Alf! Much appreciated.

The big version of the fly is wonderful in its detail and coverage of the subject. Were the captures flash? (I'm thinking of the time needed for them) or natural light? (I'm wondering about a burst with hand movement). I'd love to know more about the technique you used for this.

Does the spider stack lose definition on the front of the abdomen? It looks like there is plenty of detail on the cephalothorax and nearer, and on the mid to rear of the abdomen. But it looks like the ? top segments of the rear legs and the front of the abdomen don't have detail. Or am I mis-seeing this?

Thanks Nick! Yes flash (diffused) it was well charged, but 90ex so not the quickest recycle times, but the hover was obviously enjoying the sunshine. Single shots when I could, making use of focus peaking with my new camera. It was against the fence, high up, so I used the fence to rest the camera/lens on to help with stability.

Re: the spider! Yes I'm afraid so. It was a short stack session before the spider cleared off. It wasn't until I was processing the final stack that I noticed the missing "segment" and it wasn't immediately obvious on my small screen. I thought I could get away with it but I obviously need to be more careful! Usually, in this situation you could leave out the remaining frames, so you at least get the head in focus (this is why I usually start a stack by focusing on the eye - if it moves at least I might be able to rescue something). I quite liked the sharp ridge of hairs at the back though so thought it worth the risk and left the last few frames in. It wasn't a perfect stack by any means anyway, I missed the front legs sadly

Awesome stacks Tim, the spider is really good. Tho only minor crit on the fly is the front leg which is furthest away, I'd be tempted to blur this one out as it looks a little odd with the leg and small section of wood being sharp.

Yep well spotted. I think I left this in by mistake. I think I'm going to have to stop "stacking for the subject" and start trying to stack the whole scene. I get many similar problems with areas of the background that require PP work to try to resolve. I think if I can make sure I get the environment fully stacked too it'll give me better results. Cheers!

Good stack of the Spider and fly. One point on the fly is there's a visible stacking error line near the legs by the look of it. (Bright line) - I'd clone it out to perfect the shot.

Thanks Chris. It's in fact a thread of spider silk that stretches from the front legs through the back (and catches the sunlight a bit at the back). I hadn't even considered cloning it out to be honest, but you are right, it's not adding anything to the image and likely detracts. Thanks.