Found the empty mollusk shell and tried a set piece. C&C P&TY

[JBW]

[Nicks Pics]

That's a beautiful shell. Nice shot.

[JBW]

That's a beautiful shell. Nice shot.

if it had been in the ocean I would have called it a Red Turban but it is a land dweller.

[Shadowman]

Nicely done.

[John 2]

hat's nicely done Brian. Full DOF and lots of texture.

[JBW]

hat's nicely done Brian. Full DOF and lots of texture.

I am finding that if I back up a bit and use macro in combination with telephoto the dof increases as does the texture.

[Rita]

I like it Brian.

[deetheturk]

Nice capture B!

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Brian,

This is good for all the reasons that others have already identified and the exposure.

There are just two minor things that, for me, I'd have done a little differently;
a) The nearest white patch is just a tad too bright and being at the edge of frame, leads my eye out of the image.
b) There is a long thin needle or leaf in the background, which due to its shape, also attracts my attention away from the subject.

Brian - over the last year, you have developed your skills and are now very adept at; finding us interesting subjects, composing, getting exposure, focus and Depth of Field (DoF) correct.

If there is one area that possibly still needs attention, it is considering the backgrounds just a little more; looking for things that will, when a flat, 2D image is viewed, distract. I know this isn't easy, and it won't always be possible to do something about it at the time of shooting - and heck; when you're concentrating on shooting a subject that might run off or take flight at any moment, there isn't always time to even spot these things, far less put a hand in to remove something.

That's when some PP, for example; dodging and burning, or cloning, can come in useful.

I hope you don't mind me proffering this unsolicited resume/opinion of your photography and will find it as useful as I intend it to be.

Cheers, Dave

[bnnrcn]

Very nice, I like the colors and texture

[JBW]

Hi Brian,

This is good for all the reasons that others have already identified and the exposure.

There are just two minor things that, for me, I'd have done a little differently;
a) The nearest white patch is just a tad too bright and being at the edge of frame, leads my eye out of the image.
b) There is a long thin needle or leaf in the background, which due to its shape, also attracts my attention away from the subject.

Brian - over the last year, you have developed your skills and are now very adept at; finding us interesting subjects, composing, getting exposure, focus and Depth of Field (DoF) correct.

If there is one area that possibly still needs attention, it is considering the backgrounds just a little more; looking for things that will, when a flat, 2D image is viewed, distract. I know this isn't easy, and it won't always be possible to do something about it at the time of shooting - and heck; when you're concentrating on shooting a subject that might run off or take flight at any moment, there isn't always time to even spot these things, far less put a hand in to remove something.

That's when some PP, for example; dodging and burning, or cloning, can come in useful.

I hope you don't mind me proffering this unsolicited resume/opinion of your photography and will find it as useful as I intend it to be.

Cheers, Dave

What unsolicited? C&C P&TY stands for 'comment and critique please and thank-you'.
This was a set piece and I tried a few rocks before I settled on this one. I didn't notice the leaf/needle but now that you have brought it to my attention I agree it could be better without it. Same with the white patch.

You have noted correctly my two weakest areas, post processing and actually seeing what is in the shot. PP is coming along as I learn the subtleties of RT and Gimp and how to use them together more effectively. My major problem has always been over PP so I may be over compensating? As for not seeing what is actually in the frame... this may be a continuing problem. My eyes just don't always see what is in front of them. When I read I find myself going back multiple times because what I think I read just doesn't seem to make sense.

I hope that as I use the tripod for more set pieces the background and pp skills will improve with practice. My best guesstimate is that it took me between 8 and 10 thousand shots to become competent with Bugs. I am hoping for a slightly quicker learning curve for set pieces and when I get to indoor studio shots.
Thanks for the insightful critique,
B.

[JBW]

Very nice, I like the colors and texture

I have been getting some hints on how to use RT for bringing out colours and textures and it seems to be improving.

[Dave Humphries]

What unsolicited? C&C P&TY stands for 'comment and critique please and thank-you'.

Yeah, but I went on generalise instead of keeping to the image in question
Although, as I know you appreciate, I don't do that from any false sense of superiority (on my part), I know I am just another snapper making some observations, as you are welcome to on mine, should I ever post any images in future.

My best guesstimate is that it took me between 8 and 10 thousand shots to become competent with Bugs. I am hoping for a slightly quicker learning curve for set pieces and when I get to indoor studio shots.

Good luck, I am sure you will Brian.

BTW It took me probably 50,000+ shots to improve my bird shooting, and I still don't come close to many folks here - unfortunately other 'life priorities' seem to have pushed photography on to the 'back burner' for me, hopefully only temporarily. I just always seem to find something else to do that seems more important/urgent.

Perhaps the 2015 (discussion) of Project 52 will get me back in the habit (I hope so)

Cheers, Dave

[JBW]

Yeah, but I went on generalise instead of keeping to the image in question
Although, as I know you appreciate, I don't do that from any false sense of superiority (on my part), I know I am just another snapper making some observations, as you are welcome to on mine, should I ever post any images in future.



Good luck, I am sure you will Brian.

BTW It took me probably 50,000+ shots to improve my bird shooting, and I still don't come close to many folks here - unfortunately other 'life priorities' seem to have pushed photography on to the 'back burner' for me, hopefully only temporarily. I just always seem to find something else to do that seems more important/urgent.

Perhaps the 2015 (discussion) of Project 52 will get me back in the habit (I hope so)

Cheers, Dave

50,000+ thank the camera deities for digital. I can appreciate 'life priorities' and the simple reality is that there are at least a few things more important than photography. And then there is the possibility that we may need a holiday from our passions as well as from our work?

Truth be told I am uncomfortable commenting too much on others work. Most people just seem to know more than I do.
Brian.