Some insects and a lizard

[Snarkbyte]

A few from this morning's visit to the park. C&C is invited and appreciated.

#1 - Thule Bluet Damselfly. Probably could be a bit brighter, I think.


#2 - Barrel Cactus Bloom With Bees. I like this shot, but the little green sprig annoys me a bit.


#3 - Carpenter Bee. This shot required a considerable crop, as I couldn't get any closer due to a fence. The farther wing and lower abdomen are a bit soft, but it was a quick hand-held grab. These bees visit a bloom for only a second or two, so fast focus and shooting are absolutely necessary.


#4 - Lizard. Another cropped shot. The body of the lizard was a bit soft from DOF, but I liked the head shot. I was surprised I managed to get this close, these critters are generally skittish, but this one bobbed his head and defended his turf. The lizard is about 5 inches long from head to tail tip.

[Geoff F]

The trouble with brightening the Damselfly, Al, is that the branch and background will soon become too bright. I may try a little more using an Adjustment Layer and mask though. But very little extra.

I've seen a few lizard tails recently; and even those have been rapidly disappearing into the undergrowth. But it is a couple of years since I managed a head view.

That one shows good detail.

[Bobobird]

Nice shots Al.

Small wildlife in general is that they will come out for you when least expected (or ready)

[jamn4ex]

I liike the lizard shot. nice work .

[Snarkbyte]

The trouble with brightening the Damselfly, Al, is that the branch and background will soon become too bright. I may try a little more using an Adjustment Layer and mask though. But very little extra.

I've seen a few lizard tails recently; and even those have been rapidly disappearing into the undergrowth. But it is a couple of years since I managed a head view.

That one shows good detail.

Yeah, I tried brightening a bit in Lightroom before I posted (no layers), and you're right... all the details in the branch just wash out. Tried some local exposure adjustment to bring it back, but just didn't look right. Thanks for the reply.

[Snarkbyte]

Nice shots Al.

Small wildlife in general is that they will come out for you when least expected (or ready)

Thanks, Bobo... and you're right. I went looking for birds this morning and found this critter sunning himself on a rock. What the heck... worth a shot.

[Snarkbyte]

I liike the lizard shot. nice work .

Thanks, James. I think my favorite of the group is the Barrel Cactus shot with the bees. The bees just seem to be diving into flower... you can even see the "splash". Everyone else likes the lizard, but I was a little disappointed that I had to crop so much.

[JohnC]

Brilliant Lizard shots - they steal the show especially the blue one. We were at Cancun, Yucatan Peninsular, several years ago and I got close to a sunbathing fully sized iguana which was on the rocks on the cliff tops overlooking the sea.

[Snarkbyte]

Brilliant Lizard shots - they steal the show especially the blue one. We were at Cancun, Yucatan Peninsular, several years ago and I got close to a sunbathing fully sized iguana which was on the rocks on the cliff tops overlooking the sea.

Thanks, John. Here's a Whiptail I also caught yesterday. (Didn't have any luck with the birds I was looking for, but the lizards were more cooperative).

[Geoff F]

Al. Here is a very quick edit to the damselfly photo to demonstrate selective brightness using Curves on an adjustment layer plus a mask which can be edited to vary the amount of brightness.



I've only got basic editing software on this computer so it could look better after working on the original and spending a little more time.

[Dave Humphries]

Al. Here is a very quick edit to the damselfly photo to demonstrate selective brightness using Curves on an adjustment layer plus a mask which can be edited to vary the amount of brightness.

Good effort Geoff,

Al, it's funny how some subjects and backgrounds almost defy being able to get it right (or as you'd want) - I did actually download this and make a start in PS, but my clumsy attempts and ineptitude in CS5 gave no real improvement, so I gave up

Cheers,

[Snarkbyte]

Thanks, Geoff. I'm sure you're right about the approach with layer adjustments, I was just lazy not doing it before I posted.

Dave, thanks for the reply. I really don't think it's a bad shot as-is, but the damselfly just needs a little extra to make it pop. Geoff likely has the right approach, but I was too lazy to get a good selection for editing... LR local adjustments lack the fine control that layers give, so exposure adjustments in LR just washed out details or looked over-processed. Now if you want a real challenge, take a stab at the carpenter bee in my other thread, lol.

[Donald]

What a wonderful looking creature. Did you tell it to stand there so that the rocks and the foliage in the background would all harmonise with the colours on its body?

The head shot of the lizard in the first post above is mighty impressive. Well done.

[Snarkbyte]

What a wonderful looking creature. Did you tell it to stand there so that the rocks and the foliage in the background would all harmonise with the colours on its body?

The head shot of the lizard in the first post above is mighty impressive. Well done.

Thanks, Don. The truth is, I was rather concerned about the background when I took the shot because the foliage was so bright. I had to darken it a couple stops in PP.