by Howard Cheek
I took a stab at the Black Swallowtail today, sure wish they would cooperate better.. I shaved it close on the DOF, with the subject in the shade of an oak tree. Bright sunlit background using partial metering.
This swallowtail's on a single zinnia that popped up on our beloved pet Daisy's grave. She's been gone a little over a year now.
It's a fact that nothing in this physical universe ever dies/is destroyed. It simply changes form.. Our Daisy has wings now
F/9, 1/500th, ISO 800, 5DM2, 300mm f/2.8 + 2x ext. Fill flash failed to fire/recover fast enough in this shot..
Comments
4 commentsI certainly would not quibble or nit the very slight softness in the right wing tip, Howard. You want perfection?
The larger image is a pleasure to look at with the subtle colors in the subject, the nice detail, the nicely angled comp, and the beautiful bg. Looks almost painted. I like the way the dots on the wings match the bg. Too bad you could not get a pinch of fill on the subject. Too bad you could not get a bit of fill on the subject but, really, the exposure looks very good on my Imac. A fine capture overall. 
Howard, this looks very good. You've got good details in the dark tones, the bf filling the frame well, and a complementary background. The slight softness of the right wing is a minor drawback.
Howard, Great exposure of a dark butterfly against a bright background. Excellent handling of the blacks in this shot. Well done! (I really like your title.)
I like this a lot. The black butterfly really stands out from the light back ground and contrasts nicely with the red flower.