Cloudless Sulphur On Zinnia

[Allen Sparks]

Canon 40D, 300 f4 plus 1.4 x teleconverter, monopod
ISO 400, f14, 1/800s, EC -1/3, aperture priority

[David Gancarz]

Allen: Very nice capture of a species that doesn't stay put for very long! The butterfly, its antennae and proboscis, as well as the Zinnia pistils all have excellent focus and detail. The bee is a bonus. It looks like this was taken around high noon, given the contrasty flower with deep shadows. Some fill flash might have been in order. I like it a lot.

[OvidiuCavasdan]

I like the composition, BF and flower sharp, pleasant BG, very nice feeding pose. Zinnias are bright/rich coloured but I might be tempted to tone down the flower a bit. But this is a minor thing and it's about personal taste ...so...this is a very nice picture. Well done.

[Ken Childs]

Really nice, Allen!
I think a bit of contrast would make this pop and you should also consider lightening up the face. I agree with David that fill-flash could have help clear up some of those shadows and darker areas on the bottom of the butterfly.

[Steve Maxson]

Very nice colors, an excellent pose, and good sharpness, Allen. There are some good suggestions above. You might also consider blending the darker area in the background just above the butterfly's wings. :)

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Allen,
Overall you did well given the light.....if this is a set-up.....consider putting a reflector below to open up the shadows some more. I think this was handled nicely overall and implementing some of the suggested tweaks will go a long way.

[Art Kornienko]

Second the dark spot over the wings, love the shot, the 300 (with or without a TC) shure works super for these type of shots.