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Beautiful

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted February 25, 2011935 views16 comments

I am interested to know if the BG is distracting from this image. I always prefer, and try to get, a uniform BG for subjects like this. However, I like the pose of this swallowtail very much and am wondering if this is enough to hold the eye. I used a slight lighting effect (flashlight) to minimize the BG and place even more emphasis on the butterfly. The only info I have on this is I used my 70-200mm f2.8L IS lens, most likely handheld. The rest of the EXIF vanished with the loss of the external hard drive it resided on. Thanks for your comments!

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Fabio Giarrizzo on February 25, 2011 at 1:00 AM

Awesome shot- The butterfly is really pretty and tack sharp, and BG is pleasant (probably you used a small aperture, to obtain such a wide DOF)- Maybe I'd try a more vertical composition, with a bit more BG on the upper part, including the entire flower on the lower- You've done a great job on this, Fabio

Registered on December 3, 2010, 90 Posts, 1614 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on February 25, 2011 at 7:04 AM

I agree with the previous comments. The BG is very complementary. Nice shot.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Lorna Taylor on February 25, 2011 at 10:54 AM

Love the BG here Pam , It give the feel of a meadow of wild flowers! Wonderful butterfly and detail!

Registered on November 12, 2010, 254 Posts, 3083 Comments

Comment posted by Monica Siri on February 25, 2011 at 12:56 PM

Pam,
absolutely no nits from here. I like this as posted.

Registered on September 20, 2009, 132 Posts, 3764 Comments

Comment posted by Derek Yow on February 25, 2011 at 1:19 PM

Lovely Pam. My comment echos Lorna's. The BG really helps add some environment to this shot.

Registered on May 18, 2010, 26 Posts, 655 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Moats on February 25, 2011 at 6:29 PM

Hey Pam, great shot, I think the BG looks fine.

Registered on October 20, 2004, 892 Posts, 6324 Comments

Comment posted by Pam Colander on February 26, 2011 at 1:21 AM

Oh good ! I am glad to hear that the BG does not distract. Thank you very much for your comments!

Registered on December 7, 2006, 210 Posts, 1062 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on February 26, 2011 at 7:49 AM

BG is fine and overall a very detailed & pleasing image Pam..Nice colors and exposure control..Not sure I know what the "lighting effect" is here. When you say "flashlight", do you mean fill flash? With the sunlight from above, a good call

Well done

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments

Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on February 26, 2011 at 3:54 PM

I, too, like the pose of the this swallowtail and I don't find the background distracting. It is out of focus enough and the various colors can add some interest. Great capture!

Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments

Comment posted by Pam Colander on February 26, 2011 at 4:37 PM

Thanks very much for your kind comments Howard and Carolyn.
Howard, in PS go to Filters>Render>Lighting effects then you can selct your light source from the pull down menu at the top and adjust from there. It can be much more subtle than a vignette.

Registered on December 7, 2006, 210 Posts, 1062 Comments

Comment posted by wade pettitt on February 26, 2011 at 8:52 PM

Pam , this is excellent and the background is very complimentary. Well done!!

Registered on May 6, 2009, 184 Posts, 471 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on February 27, 2011 at 9:29 PM

Beautiful image. The comp., colors and background all work very well together. The butterfly really stands out.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Barry Southon on February 28, 2011 at 11:29 AM

Pam

A cracking shot fantastic detail.

Registered on March 13, 2006, 21 Posts, 150 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on March 1, 2011 at 9:01 PM

Pam:
A wonderful capture. No problem with the BG. Like the fill flash which is not obvious. The only suggestion is perhaps cropping a bit off the right but this is only a personal preference.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on March 2, 2011 at 1:59 PM

Pam: Congrats on the Weekly Pick. I love coneflowers and tiger swallowtails so this is an unbeatable combination for me. I actually like this BG as is. The splotches of blue complement the blue in the wings. Well done.>=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on March 2, 2011 at 5:51 PM

Wonderful!
Tack-sharp througout and great colors and comp.
Congrats on the EP!
Sansdy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments