Pontifex

I posted a rough version of this one in macro but have been working at it some more. It's about the direction I want to go with photography.

Since it's hard to see one's own rights and wrongs, I'd appreciate some of your bluntness to push me into the right direction.



Thanks

Edit; no idea why this other is in the attachment; ignore it please.

It is an amazing photo. Almost confusing to my eye because of the brilliant colours.

Thanks, it might indeed suffer over-color.

I toned some parts down.

Since you seem to be going for the jeweled effect, I'm not sure what if anything could improve it. You seemed to have found the sweet spot in this type of photo style, in my opinion!
I was looking for something to criticize, but I can't find anything. You'll have to find someone way more critical than me! Lol

Great shot!

Thanks Bill but I'm sure there's room for improvement. I just got to find how.

Macro is such a wonderful medium to toy with. In a weird way, I don't really care about the subject. I just care if it allows me to try and make a good picture. It just so happens that in the microverse you can bend the rules that much more than in ours. You can turn everything upside down or drive the colors into strange directions and it still makes "sense" in that world. With some luck and the right angles, you can even toy with light in a manner hardly possible in "normal" photography.

The tiny is a fantastic reality to dwell in.

Edit: I lowered the environment colors even more. Better or too dark?

As I was scrolling down reading the replies I felt the same as Bill. Very nice shot. Until I came to your last edit. Much better. Very nice shot indeed.

I too think the last edit is your best. It's wonderful shot.

The only thing I could suggest would be to crop a small amount off the right edge to tighten up the shot:



....

Thanks for the advice.

I did crop as suggested and it indeed is better. If I crop more, I get too much room above or below and would have to abandon the 16:9 format. Maybe the latest is even too much cropped.