Butterfly in Hiding :)

Gallery: FloraPosted September 3, 201281 views14 comments

Butterfly in Hiding, September 10th 2010

The brightly lit, stamens of this flower, looked to me like the antenna of a hidden butterfly. Hope you enjoy :)

Minor brightness and contrast adjustments in PS.
Camera Panasonic DMC-TZ3
Exposure 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture f/4.8
Focal Length 29.2 mm
ISO Speed 100

I was asked to post the camera settings, for my photos. I could not afford an expensive camera body and macro equipment, so I built an attachment for my camera, that included cardboard tubing and lots of duct tape. The above settings, may or may not make any sense since the attachment changes just about everything. :)

For more details, regarding my background and photos, please visit my profile page.

http://www.photoportfolios.net/portfolio/profile.cgi?&pi=TINYBYNATURE

Comments

14 comments

Comment posted by Eirini Pajak on September 4, 2012 at 6:44 AM

Those are really neat stamens! They do look like a little insect's antennae! I think I would like this even more if that one leaf had been pushed down or to the side. I read your profile page & I think that is a wonderful reason to do photography. I know people that have found a lot of help in exactly the same way!

Registered on December 13, 2011, 216 Posts, 1671 Comments

Comment posted by Bob&Charly Nelson on September 4, 2012 at 6:54 AM

Wonderful detail in stamens, and I really enjoy the shallow depth you've accomplished. My only small nit is the leaf running up the foremost petal. Well seen and recorded.
Bob

Registered on October 27, 2005, 289 Posts, 4202 Comments

Comment posted by Nathan Buck on September 4, 2012 at 1:40 PM

Nice focus on the stamens Stephen. I love dianthus flowers for those stamen. I wish that the greenery was not shooting up and left into the bloom. Usually I try to bend those elements down or out of the way. You could do the same with that extra bud in the lower right corner which got too much flash and seems a bit too bright.

Nathan

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1101 Posts, 13589 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on September 4, 2012 at 2:51 PM

What a FUN photo!! I concur with the aforementioned comments about the leaf-- details, details...

Admire your ingenuity, too! Kudos to you.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Jaymes Dempsey on September 4, 2012 at 5:10 PM

I love the colors you captured here, Stephen, especially on the stamens. Nice composition, too, and I especially like the smooth background. My only small nit would be about the green shoot. Lovely image!

Registered on June 28, 2010, 47 Posts, 590 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Wolfenden on September 4, 2012 at 7:05 PM

The stamens are beautifully captured, Stephen, and the perspective on the flower works really well. Maybe that front leaf could have been pushed down ( ? ) but this is nicely done.

Registered on May 18, 2007, 1108 Posts, 7647 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on September 4, 2012 at 8:06 PM

Very good perspective and point of focus, Stephen. Others have mentioned the distracting green leaf, so I won't.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on September 4, 2012 at 8:39 PM

Stephen:
You have captured the stamens of this dianthus nicely

Others have mentioned the offending leaf and if you do a little tidying before shooting, it will save a lot time in post processing trying to clone things out.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by Stephen Porter on September 4, 2012 at 8:45 PM

Thank you everyone :) I started in Photography on Sept. 6th,2010 and shot this flower on Sept 10th,of the same year. I wish so much, I had moved that green leaf, off to the side, or pushed it down out of the frame. Same with the blurred buds to the right. Oh well... I have learned a lot about composition, since then :)

Maybe tonight, I will post my first ever macro image :) It is a fun one and got me hooked.

Thanks for all the feedback :)

Registered on August 27, 2012, 56 Posts, 69 Comments

Comment posted by Ramamohan Pai on September 4, 2012 at 11:12 PM

Stephen - Some great feedback there already. I like your interpretation here. Those anthers do look like Proboscis of Butterflies.

If you wanted to go even closer you may want to look at investing in some good quality diopters.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 550 Posts, 9037 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on September 5, 2012 at 9:16 AM

The stamen are really neat, wish that leaf wasn't blocking the one on the right. Sure does look the a butterfly is about to pop up and say boo. Great find.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on September 5, 2012 at 5:01 PM

A good find, Stephen. The dark BG works very well with the detailed and sharp central subject--the stamens.
I don't know if it's possible and something that you'd like to do or not, but I'm wondering if the overall image
quality might be improved if you could clone out the foreground blurred green (I'm not sure what word to use--
leaf, frond, probably blade). That's just my opinion--others might say that it helps to make the image work.

Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on September 6, 2012 at 11:44 AM

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on September 6, 2012 at 9:04 PM

Hi stephen

Great capture of the stamens, on your first week of photography

keep them coming, and enjoy the challanges of making interesting shots

Albert Darmo

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments