Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas

[Jonathan Ashton]

Camera Model Canon EOS 7D
Tripod
Firmware Firmware Version 1.2.1
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/50
Av( Aperture Value ) 11.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation +2/3
ISO Speed 400
Lens EF180mm f/3.5L Macro USM
Image Quality RAW
Flash On
Flash Type External E-TTL
E-TTL II flash metering Evaluative flash metering
Flash Exposure Compensation -1 2/3
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain sync
FE lock OFF
White Balance Mode Auto
AF Mode AI Servo AF
AF area select mode Spot AF

As always your C&C are eagerly awaited!:)

[Jim Bridges]

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[Valerio Tarone]

Hi Jonatan good angle, lovely the BG with warm colors.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Jonathan,
Super light, details and sharpness.....wasn't originally thrilled with the ULC or the darker green line....around 2 o'clock.....smotthing and blending is an option.....but IMO they don't detract from the wonderful presentation.....so I'd take it either way! Very well done!!!:cheers:

[Ken Childs]

Jon, this is another winner!
If this were mine, I'd get rid of the pink in the ULC and try to smooth out the BG just a bit.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks for the comments, glad you liked it, I warmed the colours slightly as it was taken in early morning light. Jim you are absolutely right it was a filed full of thistles and ragweed and plant I cannot recall the name of - it isn't a thistle but the flower head looks just like a common thistle. The filed was a carpet of blue this morning , this afternoon I returned with Barney to find the whole field had been mown flat. Still evry cloud and all that, there are still some flowers round the periphery so hopefully they will act as a magnet ... or they will all have flown off to another field!:(

[Julie Kenward]

A lovely image, Jon! I do wish the entire perch plant head had been included - I think this way it feels a bit cut off. Might try taking even more off to see if that makes the cut feel more "intentional". Lovely BG. I'd also consider removing the pink in the ULC - it's pretty but it is distracting.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Jonathan. You're getting good at photographing these small butterflies! I like the diagonal pose with the butterfly appearing to be alertly looking off into the distance (or whatever constitutes "distance" for a butterfly :) ). Looking at the bottom of the frame, I'm thinking I might want just a bit more room to fit in the rest of the plant bud. Failing that, you might consider cropping up a little from the bottom (it's the old "cut, don't clip" thing, I guess). Well done.

Hmmm, looks like Jules and I were thinking along the same lines - at the same time. :)

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Jonathan, another great butterfly shot! I like the warm colors, but they look a bit on the reddish side. The upper wing seems a bit OOF, you may have wanted to increase the aperture just one step. The flowerhead is from Centaurea jacea (Brown knapweed). I think you did a great job capturing this species, they never seem to sit still!

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks for your C&C everyone I appreciate the feedback very much.

[Vida van der Walt]

Beautiful image Jonathan. Agree on the upper wings slightly soft but great detail in the rest. I love the pink in the bg and wonder if it is possible to selectively add a little pink to the rest of the bg.:)

[Anita Bower]

I especially like the glowing colors in this image. I find my eye drawn to the perch and away from the little butterfly, which is a shame. Perhaps Jules' suggestion of cropping a bit off the perch? Beautiful!