Another butterfly from the 2008 SFSU Sierra Nevada workshop.
Canon 20D, 300mm (not sure if this was Canon f4L IS or Tamron 28-300 VC), f9.0 @ 1/250sec, ISO 400, O EV, pattern metering, manual exp, HH
PP: Lightroom 2.6
large crop (tight to minimize busy BG)
exposure: set black and white points
enhanced clarity and vibrance
tone curve: brought down darks and lights
Sharpening and NR (masking to 100)
adjustment brush: selective sharpening of wings
post-crop vignette
This image is noisy but I was able to smooth some of that out. I also sharpened this more than usual, trying to get to know the detail panel better! Too much?
I like this one. Great colors and soft light. You did a good job to reduce the background noise as much as possible in that situation.
I would darken the pale spot ad the bottom a bit.
you captured alot of nice detail (look at all those hairs!) even though I can tell this was a large crop. Background is a bit busy but I still like the position of the butterfly in the frame and the full side view.
I think it might look soft because of my shutter speed. Could it stand some more sharpening?
It is a large crop with a busy BG. I start shooting as soon as I spot the butterfly. My habit is to keep moving in until I fill the frame, or it flies away. I think it flew away before I could get close because all of the images required large crops. But this was a new butterfly for me, so I am glad to have the image.:)
Last edited by Julie Brown; 02-16-2010 at 11:04 AM.
The busy BG may distract from the butterfly but IMO, it's still a very nice shot. Being a butterfly geek, I have a hard time being distracted from the 'fly in any picture. :)
The antennae look sharp enough so a slight contrast boost on just the butterfly might help with the softness issue.
Love the position of this in the frame, Julie. Nice colors and good detail on the butterfly although it does feel a little oversharpened to me. I'd also darken that white area at the bottom of the stem just to keep it from competing with the bf.
What an unusual butterfly! Nice details an the BF. I find the light spots and blemishes on the plants a bit distracting. Here is the image with some cloning, burning and a vignette. What do you think? :)
Thanks for the additional suggestions Ken, Jules, and Anita.:cool:
This is definitely the place to come to for help when you get "stuck" with an image. :D The butterfly itself is what makes this image interesting, despite its flaws.
I love what you did to the image Anita!:) I will go back and rework this to see if I can duplicate your work.
Thanks for looking and commenting Vida, Mike, and Akos. Akos, the EXIF data with my 40D says EF 300mm for my Canon f4L, but with the 20D it just says 300mm. I shot butterflies with a Tamron 28-300 and the Canon 300 on that trip. Hence my confusion.:confused:
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