Backlit Summer Azure

[Ken Childs]

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p193/kjchilds/BPN/IMG_0056.jpg

Canon EOS REBEL XT
Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS @ 400mm
Av mode
1/320"
F8
ISO: 200
CS3

It's old and worn but still beautiful.

[Julie Brown]

I like this Ken. Interesting pose with the body in silhouette. I might have cropped some more from the bottom.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Ken, the backlighting and dramtic light is really nice. I would suggest toning down the white area below the leaf the B-bly is perched on. Very nice details:)

[Julie Kenward]

Yes, that white area got my eye before the butterfly did. :( I'm not sure how big this crop is but if you could take it all the way down to the backlit bf and the leaf I think it would be stunning. Also, did you try to bring up the shadows on the head and belly of the bf at all? It might make a little more detail come out while still preserving your backlighting.

[Vida van der Walt]

Hi Ken. Great shot and I love the light shining through those wings and the contrast between light and dark. I worked on the image a bit and hope you like it. Pls don't laugh at my PP skills but I'm slowly but surely improving. I cropped, removed some of the green leaves to focus the attention more on the BF, adjusted the gamma slightly, painted over the leaf the BF is sitting on at 20% of the shade of the other leaves in order to warm up the gray green of that leaf. I also sharpened slightly.:)

[Vida van der Walt]

I just notice now that I could've even cropped a tiny bit more on the left hand side.:)

[Vida van der Walt]

This is very weird! When I tried to upload the reworked image I had to try 3 or 4 times as I got a message every time to first refresh the screen. Now I notice that the reworked image appears a couple of times when I scroll down to the other members macro posts and the images appear under the strangest headings!:confused:

[Julie Brown]

I have had that experience when uploading as well.

[Ken Childs]

Yes, that white area got my eye before the butterfly did. :( I'm not sure how big this crop is but if you could take it all the way down to the backlit bf and the leaf I think it would be stunning. Also, did you try to bring up the shadows on the head and belly of the bf at all? It might make a little more detail come out while still preserving your backlighting. My first edit had more of the original but I decided to go in a little further. It's a pretty big crop and I was worried I'd lose too much if I went in any further. I should have tried anyway. I did lighten the body and head and maybe I could have taken it a little further.


Hi Ken. Great shot and I love the light shining through those wings and the contrast between light and dark. I worked on the image a bit and hope you like it. Pls don't laugh at my PP skills but I'm slowly but surely improving. I cropped, removed some of the green leaves to focus the attention more on the BF, adjusted the gamma slightly, painted over the leaf the BF is sitting on at 20% of the shade of the other leaves in order to warm up the gray green of that leaf. I also sharpened slightly.:)
Thanks, Vida. It does look better without all the bright, blurry distractions. :)

[Allen Sparks]

Nice backlit shot. I like the lit up wings and Vida's repost is a nice improvement.

[Julie Kenward]

Vida got it...that's exactly what I was imagining...pulling out all the clutter and leaving just what was important to the image.

[Peter Farrell]

Ken, This is a super image. I love the dramatic light, the detail and the shadows. I also was bothered by the bright white portion of the BG, but I liked the green on the bottom. Something like this...

[Ken Childs]

That's looks good, too. :)

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Ken, nice use of the backlight! It really complements the butterfly. Do agree that bringing up the shadows could really improve the image. I really like Vidas repost (and probably better with a little off the left).