Red-banded Hairstreak on Fennel

[Ken Childs]

Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS @ 105mm
Av mode
1/200"
F8
ISO:200
Pop-up flash on (my 430ex is in the shop)
LR & CS3

BG is clouds. Cloned out some messy foliage.

[Bob Miller]

Hi Ken...the white bg is not working for me with these colors.

[Kaushik Balakumar]

I usually like the high-key images. But I too feel that it is not working with the current colour combination as Bob pointed it.
Again, just my tastes :)

[Julie Kenward]

I think I'd like this as a high key if the body of the butterfly didn't blend with the BG quite so much. You got the rest of it nailed down pretty nicely - good specimens and nice detail - just am not feeling the white BG in this one.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ken,
I will reseve judgement on the BG....until I see the body and legs of the butterly made a touch darker......I think this wil resolve my only issue with the image then!

[Ken Childs]

I went over the legs and body with the burn tool. Maybe I should have gone over the face too but I like the black and white contrast too much.

OK Roman, It's time to pass judgment. :D

[Roman Kurywczak]

OK......I am going against the crowd....I like it!!! Just enough seperation of the body to BG for me. Perhaps this doesn't fall intot he classic "high key" look of more subdued colors......but I happen to like the graphic quality and bold look! I know not everyones cup of tea.....but this works for me!

[Anita Bower]

I like the BG, but then.....I have a preference for white BGs. I find this a lovely image, with the butterfly sharp and the flower a bit soft. As I look closer, the flower isn't soft. just seems so. I like the butterfly looking at us. Only suggestion is to crop some off the left side, but OK as is. Good job!

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Ken, very interesting specimen! I feel the overall light is a bit harsh (hope your flash will be back soon), which doesn't help with the white BG. I don't like that the butterflie partly blends in with it. I also see lots of chromatic abberation in the image, which should be easy to take care of.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Lovely composition but sorry Ken the white back ground just don't float my boat!
Something I discovered today - you may wish to consider, i.e. the pure white areas (in this case on the head - in others say the fringe on the wings of a butterfly) - no need to sharpen, or very little, as they are pure white and the sharpening increases acutance and induces a refractive appearance and sometimes causes the whites to blow:cool: