Back to the bugs...Black Swallowtail

[Ken Childs]

Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS @ 310mm
Av mode
1/400"
F14
ISO:400
LR & CS3
HH

The wings were moving so they aren't as sharp as I'd like but these things rarely hold still, even when feeding. I've already applied 2 rounds of smart sharpen and 1 of the high pass filter to the upper wings. Now that it's posted, I see a few areas of the BG that could use more work. :o

I'd like opinions on the crop. I kept going back and forth about how much space to leave on the bottom.

I was only able to get one shot and then it was gone so there wasn't time to try any other camera settings. These are a frustrating species to photograph!

[Julie Kenward]

Beautiful exposure, Ken! I love how you can almost feel the light between the wings. I think you've done a really good job of sharpening here - it feels natural yet crisp.

I like your original crop but think you might also consider taking 1/4-1/2" off the bottom.

You got a beautiful photo here - do I see a butterfly calendar in your future??? ;)

[denise ippolito]

Beautiful comp. and colors. I wish the flower bud area were a bit sharper. Wings look sharp enough to me. Great looking image.

[Jim Bridges]

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[Jonathan Ashton]

Composition looks fine or maybe a tad more head room at the expense of the base. Absolutely fantastic colours - a real gem. The butterfly looks a little soft to me, I wonder if you could get away with f11 and focus on the thorax region.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ken,
Sitting still is not one of their strong suits!!! Like Jonathan, I am debating the overall sharpness as the coneflower looks soft too....so perhaps focus was on the back? Just double check that. Now....I'm fine with the room off the bottom....but will offer another possible approach.....rotate the canvas about 7 or 8 degrees CW.....and make it a vert! Makes a stronger presentation IMO......just a thought.
And remember.....this isn't a bug.....it's a flying flower!

[Anita Bower]

Great shot! I completely agree with Jules' post.