PDA

View Full Version : Monarch on Sawtooth Sunflower



Danny J Brown
11-16-2009, 07:43 AM
Taken at Shaw Nature Reserve near my home. Shot was taken in morning directly into the sun. Comments and suggestions welcome. Thanks.

Canon 40D; Canon 300 F4 L IS + 1.4; 1/800; F/5.6; ISO 200; Manfrotto 055XB w/488RC2

Anita Bower
11-16-2009, 06:08 PM
I love the brightness of this image. It shouts sunshine and light! Great exposure. Shooting straight into the sun worked well. Lovely BG and the Monarch stands out beautifully. Well done.

Julie Kenward
11-17-2009, 06:59 PM
I love the brightness, too, but it's right on the edge. You might try a trick I've found that works on raw files. Drop the yellow saturation by 3-8 points and then increase the yellow luminance by the same amount. It somehow softens the strength of the too bright areas but leaves the image still feeling fresh and vibrant.

Oh, by they way... you totally nailed that butterfly!!! Super crisp and just a great straight on view.

Danny J Brown
11-17-2009, 08:05 PM
I love the brightness, too, but it's right on the edge. You might try a trick I've found that works on raw files. Drop the yellow saturation by 3-8 points and then increase the yellow luminance by the same amount. It somehow softens the strength of the too bright areas but leaves the image still feeling fresh and vibrant.

Oh, by they way... you totally nailed that butterfly!!! Super crisp and just a great straight on view.

Thanks Julie and Anita. Julie, I agree that the brightness is right on the edge - I almost didn't post this one at all for that reason. I actually took the entire photo down a lot in brightness and then went back with the brush and brightened the butterfly, but it still looked pretty bright. I'm keeping a notebook of your PS suggestions for future reference as I just switched from LR II. Thanks guys.

Mike Moats
11-18-2009, 05:22 AM
Hey Danny, beautiful image here. Love the big vibrant color, good details and BG.