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Jerry van Dijk
09-03-2010, 01:15 PM
Another one from my short DSLR try-out. When clouds gathered and the light started to fade just before the rain, we encountered this Common Blue which looked like it had reached the end of its days (the first we saw on this track this year!). Because of the bad light conditions, I had to shoot wide open and the whole image ended up in faded colors. Furthermore, I wasn't sporting a macrolens, so I had to make a considerable crop.
I was about to throw it away when I thought of a little experiment, because the faded colors matched the life stage of this butterfly very well ;). I copied the butterfly in a separate layer, faded the BG image even more by desaturating it. Then I corrected the exposure on the separate butterfly, added saturation to bring up the colors and sharpened it. I then pasted the butterfly back in the BG image at 75% opacity. I cloned over the base of the perch so it wouldn't protrude directly from the frame.
This is how it turned out. Let me know what you think, I'm still not sure whether to like it or not....

Canon 400D, EF 70-200 @145mm, ISO 100, f/4, 1/320 sec, RAW.
ACR 5.0, PS CS4.

Roman Kurywczak
09-03-2010, 02:59 PM
Hey Jerry,
Because the BF is going soft.....this isn't working for me.....but that doesn't mean this isn't a great attempt! I like the softness for the most part.......which is rare for me.....but the stem and BG are excellent and sharp where it needs it.....just wish for a touch more on the BF. Why only ISO 100?.....going to 200 may have given you all that you needed!

Jerry van Dijk
09-03-2010, 03:16 PM
Hi Roman, this was a new camera to me, so I wasn't able to change settings quickly. This was needed, because to get this shot, I got involved in a chase throught the grass stalks at ground level....and butterflies are definitvely at an advantage there :D! And you're totally right that at ISO 200 or 400 I would have had all I could wish for!

Jonathan Ashton
09-03-2010, 03:42 PM
I like the shot but I find the bright blue is a little inconsistent with the rest of the wing colouration. I don't find anything wrong with taking a shot of an old worn out butterfly, I don't really understand why judges always say it is looking tired or worn out - well so what that is life , in my book a good shot of a tired butterfly is equally meritorious as a good shot of a pristine one. Hmm I suspect I may have started something now.;)

Ken Childs
09-03-2010, 03:59 PM
Jerry, I really like the look of this shot and really think it can be improved by a little selective sharpening. I sharpened the back part of the wings and the front antenna in this version.

Jerry van Dijk
09-04-2010, 01:16 PM
Sometimes, faking it really works :D! In Ken's repost it almost looks like the wings were actually in focus. It does emphasize the artifacts that go with the considerable crop though.
Jonathant, I may have overdone the blues a little, but the wings were really faded compared to the body, I feel this is quite close to the actual colors. I had a hard time identifying it when I first saw it flying because of the lack of colors.

Anita Bower
09-06-2010, 05:09 PM
The background is stunning. Love the way the stem emerges. Your creativity in post processing was instructive to me. Lovely colors.

Jerry van Dijk
09-09-2010, 03:29 AM
Thanks Anita!