Nikon D7000 w/Nikkor 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens @ 230mm, hand held
ISO 800; f/7.1, 1/1250 sec
PP: Topaz De Noise 4; standard adjustments in PS CS6
The cap for our water well is covered by a single, giant Tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican sunflower) plant, that presents hundreds of blossoms to visiting butterflies and hummingbirds. This visitor sampled one of the blossoms. Because the focus was squarely on the butterfly, parts of the blossom not in the plane of the butterfly are somewhat soft. I am not troubled by that, but what do you think? Would it have been better to stop the lens down more? Or does the image as presented better emphasize the butterfly?
All comments and suggestions are as always most welcome.
Beautiful capture with a very pleasing composition and lovely colors! You got the head sharp but I'd prefer more DOF with the butterfly in this pose. But then you'd be looking at a lower SS and/or higher ISO. You might have squeaked out a little more.
I find this to be a beautiful image. The colors, composition & exposure are great. The eyes of the butterfly are in focus, as well as the abdomen, parts of the wing and parts of the flower. I especially like the graceful shapes of the antennae and that they do not blend with the wing. For me all the elements of an image work together, and DOF is just one consideration.
A very pleasant eye catching image though for me the greens look a tad on the dense side.. Looking at it critically, there is insufficient detail in the insect , I suspect the main problem is a lack of DOF.
Hi Norm. The comments above are a good illustration of how subjective photo critiquing can be and subjects like DOF often come down to personal taste. My personal taste would like to see more DOF such that most or all of the central portion of the flower was sharp. A little softness in the petals is not bothering me. Otherwise, I like the soft light with the rim lighting along the stem, the comp, pose, and background. In an ideal world, I would wish that the butterfly's wings were less tattered. Overall, this is a colorful and pleasing image!
Swallowtail Butterfly
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