Posted by Elina Enho on August 17, 2009 at 5:10 AM
This year there has been huge mount of Vanessa cardui in Finland. The second generation has just started to fly. So there has been many opportunities to take photos of them. Here is one of mine.
This is my first photo here. All my photos are from Finland and its nature. Hope you will like them!
From this viewpoint you really need more depth of field. If I could not get the full wing spread then I would have looked at shooting along the nearest wing, that way you reduce the softness seen in the image.
Images that have the subject facing down rarely work as well as those where the subject is looking up, ideally the top right corner, always worth looking at.
As shown I would suggest removing the flowers at the top, but if these were at the bottom then they would give a base to the shot.
It really is a nice shot, sharp where it counts, will look out for some more.
I'm afraid this does nothing for me, trying to work out which part of the wing I'm looking at is very difficult, because of the angle and DOF. With a 300mm lens you need a smaller aperture than f7.1 when your that close to the subject, I agree with getting rid of the flowers at the top, they do distract slightly.
Posted by Elina Enho on August 17, 2009 at 8:20 AM
Thank you for good and helpful critic, Terri. I have several shots of this individual, also some with diagonal and upright head for the butterfly. For example this one below. Also here the sharp area is quite narrow, but it was consired to be so. Is this one better?
Regards,
Elina
www.luontotupa.net
Posted by David Taylor on August 17, 2009 at 10:36 AM
Welcome Elina. I much prefer the second one. I like the way you have caught the light through the wings. Keep these insect images coming.
Posted by Andy Astbury on August 17, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Welcome to UKNPN Elina
I actually think both images have their merits; I agree with everything David says over the second image, but I can see something nice in the first one too.
There's a strong diagonal composition going on there and it's nice and light - though as was mentioned, the top flower could do with not being there.
Nice first post Elina, looking forward to seeing more
Posted by Matt Cole on August 17, 2009 at 11:39 AM
I think the composition of the second shot is very nice, just a shame the background is a bit cluttered. Two very pleasant images though. Welcome to UKNP.
Hi Elina, welcome to UKNP and greetings from Innsbruck.
In June and July all these butterflies must have passed by here.
I have seen hundreds of them flying full speed to the north.
Your first shot I like best.
Looking forward to seeing more.
Bertl
Posted by Ian Haskell on August 17, 2009 at 2:06 PM
I think all the nits have been covered. Nice to see some lovely butterfly shots. Look forward to seeing some more.
Ian
Posted by Elina Enho on August 18, 2009 at 3:03 AM
Thank you all! And I agree with the first one: it is much better without the flowers on the top.
Sorry for the delay in replying, but things happen.
I hope you don’t mind, but I copied your first image twice and flipped and rotated one till the top flowers were now bottom left, then I put both images next to one another. I think the rotated image then worked best and the now bottom flowers help the overall composition. Did you do this ?? if not then I think you will get a surprise, it is a different picture, at least to me.
Your second image doesn’t quite work, but it does start to show what I was thinking off.
The human eye does not see the same as a camera does, particularly when it comes the sharpness throughout the depth of the whole image.
Take two ducks on a lake, one slightly closer to you than the other. Focus on the far one, but include the nearest, and take your shot, with the nearest one “soft”. Now retake the shot, but this time with the nearest in focus and the far one “soft”. Show both images to a number of people, and the vast majority will choose, without knowing why, the shot with the nearest duck sharp. So softness in the foreground, is less acceptable than in the background.
By shooting slightly above and along the wing, possibly at a very slight downward angle, you will foreshorten the wing, and also it’s softening effect on the image, but you will have the body and the far wing as the main parts of the image. Dependant on the angle of the wing, then the majority of the far wing could also be in focus.
I have a confession, some of the above thoughts, are not mine, as I asked a good friend for their opinion, which they freely gave, and I have repeated them as I thought they might be of interest to you.
He did say after seeing your second post, that you should continue exploring different viewpoints etc., as this is the only way to improve, as some of them will work, and work well.
Discussion
10 repliesThis is my first photo here. All my photos are from Finland and its nature. Hope you will like them!
Regards,
Elina
www.luontotupa.net
Images that have the subject facing down rarely work as well as those where the subject is looking up, ideally the top right corner, always worth looking at.
As shown I would suggest removing the flowers at the top, but if these were at the bottom then they would give a base to the shot.
It really is a nice shot, sharp where it counts, will look out for some more.
Regards,
Elina
www.luontotupa.net
I actually think both images have their merits; I agree with everything David says over the second image, but I can see something nice in the first one too.
There's a strong diagonal composition going on there and it's nice and light - though as was mentioned, the top flower could do with not being there.
Nice first post Elina, looking forward to seeing more
Matt
In June and July all these butterflies must have passed by here.
I have seen hundreds of them flying full speed to the north.
Your first shot I like best.
Looking forward to seeing more.
Ian
Elina
Sorry for the delay in replying, but things happen.
I hope you don’t mind, but I copied your first image twice and flipped and rotated one till the top flowers were now bottom left, then I put both images next to one another. I think the rotated image then worked best and the now bottom flowers help the overall composition. Did you do this ?? if not then I think you will get a surprise, it is a different picture, at least to me.
Your second image doesn’t quite work, but it does start to show what I was thinking off.
The human eye does not see the same as a camera does, particularly when it comes the sharpness throughout the depth of the whole image.
Take two ducks on a lake, one slightly closer to you than the other. Focus on the far one, but include the nearest, and take your shot, with the nearest one “soft”. Now retake the shot, but this time with the nearest in focus and the far one “soft”. Show both images to a number of people, and the vast majority will choose, without knowing why, the shot with the nearest duck sharp. So softness in the foreground, is less acceptable than in the background.
By shooting slightly above and along the wing, possibly at a very slight downward angle, you will foreshorten the wing, and also it’s softening effect on the image, but you will have the body and the far wing as the main parts of the image. Dependant on the angle of the wing, then the majority of the far wing could also be in focus.
I have a confession, some of the above thoughts, are not mine, as I asked a good friend for their opinion, which they freely gave, and I have repeated them as I thought they might be of interest to you.
He did say after seeing your second post, that you should continue exploring different viewpoints etc., as this is the only way to improve, as some of them will work, and work well.