afternoon butterfly

[Hazel Grant]

Shot at 6 pm with sun going down. Nikon D7000, 1/640, f5.6 Iso 800 shutter priority. 300 mm

[Anita Bower]

I wish I could see the entire butterfly. I've just started learning something about butterflies--what kind is this one?

[Hazel Grant]

yes, I agree re the whole wing. I have another view I'll post that might do better. Don't know what kind. I too need to learn more.

[Hazel Grant]

Anita, I quick internet id check shows me that it might be a female black swallowtail.

[LindaHarden]

I've been looking at this photo.... I like how some butterflies almost seem to be on stilts. My first guess was that it was a pipeline swallowtail but I don't get very many swallowtails to practice seeing the subtle differences. I concur that it would be nice to see the whole wing but I like the sharpness and overall color and sharpness of the eyes.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Hazel. The 300 mm is a good "macro" lens for shots like this. I like the comp except for the clipped wing tip already mentioned above. On the whole, this one isn't working that well for me. The sharpest area seems to be on the forewing, close to the body - the rest of the butterfly appears a little soft. You might try some additional selective sharpening around the head and thorax to see if that helps. Although the sun is low in the sky, it is still bright enough to produce some hard shadows with blocked up blacks - some fill flash might have helped with this. The bright OOF flowers on the left side of the frame and in the LRC are distracting and your image would be much stronger if they weren't there (not that you could have done anything about that at the time - other than perhaps trying to shoot from a different angle). Just some things to keep in mind the next time out.

[Hazel Grant]

Thanks, Steve. I appreciate your specifics (and those of others who commented). Butterflies are a new venture for me, so I'll keep working on it. This helps me try to find better ways to get them.

[Anita Bower]

Thanks, Steve. I appreciate your specifics (and those of others who commented). Butterflies are a new venture for me, so I'll keep working on it. This helps me try to find better ways to get them.

Hazel: I've recently started taking pictures of butterflies and find it quite challenging!