[smarti77]

I want some honest feedback on this one (good, bad or indifferent - don't be afraid to be harsh!).

I was originally trying to shoot this wasp as it hovered perfectly still in the air for minutes. While I was fumbling around trying to change len's, putting on a 2 x converter it landed and I then took this shot. I was initially disappointed that I didn't get it hovering but quite like the texture of the plant it landed on and the ant was just lucky timing. Given a bit of contrast, shadows/highlights and sharpening...

[Schellamo]

I really like it! Especially with the title, it totally works for me. I like the texture of the plant, the rich green background and of course the subject is interesting and tells a story, which is what its all about.

[guerito]

I think it's excellent. Two bugs opposing each other - David and Goliath springs to mind.

I also like the diagonal position of the stem, it lends a graphic quality to the picture.

It's a pity that the right wing of the wasp is out of the focus plane, but there is probably not much you can do about it except if you have a ring flash and go to f32 or smaller. Still, the out-of-focus wing makes a nice bokeh.

[Petographer]

Excellent photo. Only two points I find a little bothersome are the shadows and the touch of noise in the background. The variety of colours are great as well as the diagonal composition.

[Toad]

This is a classic shot in that it tells an immediately recognizable story - a picture is worth a thousand words. There are some slight issues with sharpness - a faster shutter speed or greater DOF might have helped. But that is insignificant compared to the capture. Excellent.

[smarti77]

Thank you everyone for the feedback.

My 2 x converter forces me to use my Pentax DS in manual mode and manual focus. I am still learning how to get the right focus, depth of field and exposure.

I was also practicing my manual focus skills by limiting myself to a small depth of field. This shot shows the small depth of field but I think the lady bug could be alot clearer...
(Can you guess what the lady bug is walking across?)

[Toad]

a basket or woven straw mat?

[Schellamo]

I think your focus is quite good on the ladybug. Love the colours you are getting too, so rich.

(I think its a chair! it looks a bit like outdoor furniture)

[Russt]

Smarti..........love your first shot I think the moment and comp you have captured out ways any minor flaws....its a keeper for sure!

The lady beatle is great as well......... sitting on a basket of some sort??

The plant in david and goliath........is it rhubarb??

[smarti77]

The ladybug is walking across a childs trampoline (doesn't look very bouncy does it?).

Russt - I think the plant the wasp is on is called an oleander, but I'm no Botanist.

[Keith Alan]

David & Goliath is wonderful, Smarti.
Sure, the shadow at the ant's head-end would be a problem for a magazine cover or in a Nat. Geo. article, but considering how fast these insects move sometimes, getting a composition with such drama is something to be proud of.
While it would have been nice if the whole plant was sharp, it's good that the bottom edge is in-focus. This gave my eye somewhere new to look after digesting the subjects.
Since Petographer brought it up, here's what Neatimage noise reduction did to the noise in the background.
Noise is a personal preference that some people seem to like, some hate, while most folks don't much care either way.
I'm usually anti-noise in my own photos, but that's just my personal preference.
With this picture, if you compare the original with my NeatImaged version you can see that the noise wasn't bad at all except around the dark area in the top-right.

Smarti, I hope you don't mind my posting this edit. I didn't do anything but run it through NI.

[Irma]

I like your composition in the first one... Have you considered a square format for the first one?

I like a lot the light in the bee... and the wing looks really nice...

I also have noise in my picture when the background is green... and I use NeatImage to reduce the noise and also sharp a bit when it is needed...

[smarti77]

Thanks for the advice Keith. I'm happy for anyone to edit my images to find ways to improve.

I am normally not bothered by noise. When it has bothered me in the past I've tried removing it in photoshop without a great deal of success. I will look up Neatimage now (hoping its free - otherwise I will need to find a photoshop noise reduction tutorial).

Irma - I did try a square crop with this one but it looked poorly composed. To be honest I rarely find a square crop that I like with my images. Not sure why...

[shuttertalk]

Totally awesome shot, Smarti... I love it. The only thing, as pointed out by others, would be the shadows across the branch. But it's still a wonderful shot.

[Keith Alan]

Smarti, NeatImage has a free, no-commercial-use version that I use.
It's not as full-featured as the pro version but does a great job.
Downloadable from their site.
Neat Image

[smarti77]

I felt the need to attempt to remove the shadow in this. The more I looked at it the more it bothered me. I did alot of cloning to remove the shadow plus removed a little noise and highlights.

Does this still look photo-realistic or is it over processed? Be honest.

[Russt]

smarti, you have done a great job of that! but I think I like the first one with the shadow..... more mood :/ dunno