Your comments on this butterfly shot would be appreciated

danto · Sep 29, 2003

I am experimenting taking butterflies pics with my 717. Here is one that I cropped although I am not so sure it is good enough to post.

I would appreciate your comments for improvement. Thank you.

Cyber7 · Sep 29, 2003

danto said:
I am experimenting taking butterflies pics with my 717. Here is one
that I cropped although I am not so sure it is good enough to post.

I would appreciate your comments for improvement. Thank you.

Thats a good shot. I too have been taking alot of shots of butterflies. Yours has good DOF around the flowers in the front. I have found that increasing saturation, contrast some and sharpness a little has made my pictures look better overall. I dont know if it is my laptop screen or what but the pictures look much more realistic.

julian porter · Sep 29, 2003

Cyber7 said:
danto said:

I am experimenting taking butterflies pics with my 717. Here is one
that I cropped although I am not so sure it is good enough to post.

I would appreciate your comments for improvement. Thank you.

Click to expand...

Thats a good shot. I too have been taking alot of shots of
butterflies. Yours has good DOF around the flowers in the front.
I have found that increasing saturation, contrast some and
sharpness a little has made my pictures look better overall. I
dont know if it is my laptop screen or what but the pictures look
much more realistic.

Hi Danto

the shot looks very good to me , I love the colours . these butterflies are very hard to photograph properly but youve m,anaged it well

Jules
--

Please check out my site and if you have a comment please visit my guestbook . http://www.sonycam.co.uk

Julian Porter Southampton UK
Sony P9 & 717 Lots to learn

Daniel Cheung · Sep 29, 2003

I think the colours that showed up are great! Very pretty purples and yellows

Too bad the butterfly wasn't too cooperative in the posing department for you to capture it.
--
Daniel
Sony DSC-F717 w/ Tiffen Sky-1A filter, Sunpak CP

Skippy · Sep 30, 2003

Hi Danto,

As you probably experienced taking this shot, it is not as easy to do Macro/Close-up work as it looks, you usually find the subject will not sit still for longer than a second or two, or the breeze moves whatever the subject is sitting on, the lights not the best, you can't use a tripod because of where the subjects .....etc..etc.

One very difficult thing to do is actually focus on the eyes of the creature because they are so small, this would have to be my main problem when doing these types of shots, being a person who wears glasses doesn't help either and I cannot use the eye piece, it is just too difficult, so I rely solely on the back of the camera to arrange the shot and to focus.

I particularly enjoy using add on lenses to get even closerl

You did very well, the more you shoot of these beautiful creatures the better you become.......Skippy (Australia)

danto said:
I am experimenting taking butterflies pics with my 717. Here is one
that I cropped although I am not so sure it is good enough to post.

I would appreciate your comments for improvement. Thank you.

http://members.rogers.com/danto/butfloyel.jpg

--

Barry6 · Sep 30, 2003

Excellent DOF!

I have had no luck with capturing these butterflies in such DOF. Can you tell me more about your setup?

Thanks in advance

danto said:
I am experimenting taking butterflies pics with my 717. Here is one
that I cropped although I am not so sure it is good enough to post.

I would appreciate your comments for improvement. Thank you.

Mark Ransom · Sep 30, 2003

The last line is the best: "You did very well, the more you shoot of these beautiful creatures the better you become......." I would also add the luckier you become. Sometimes it's just a matter of taking a ton of shots, and picking the best one. As you get more practiced, your "luck" will increase.

I really like the flower arrangement in your picture. The sharp yellows and unfocused blues are a perfect contrast. The only thing I would have changed is the focus; it should be just a little farther forward. I've found focusing to be the hardest part of these shots.

Here's my lucky shot for encouragement, out of at least 100.

Skippy said:
One very difficult thing to do is actually focus on the eyes of the
creature because they are so small, this would have to be my main
problem when doing these types of shots, being a person who wears
glasses doesn't help either and I cannot use the eye piece, it is
just too difficult, so I rely solely on the back of the camera to
arrange the shot and to focus.

I particularly enjoy using add on lenses to get even closerl

You did very well, the more you shoot of these beautiful creatures
the better you become.......Skippy (Australia)

danto said:

I am experimenting taking butterflies pics with my 717. Here is one
that I cropped although I am not so sure it is good enough to post.

I would appreciate your comments for improvement. Thank you.

http://members.rogers.com/danto/butfloyel.jpg

Click to expand...

--

danto · Sep 30, 2003

Thank you, Barry, for your comments.

To answer your query here are the settings:

Shutter Priority at 1/800. For moving objects, I generally use the burst mode. That is good to catch them in action. Unfortunately, the recording time is too long and many times, I have lost good opportunities.

F 2.8, ISO 100, WB auto, no flash.

Auto focus, multisegment.

danto · Sep 30, 2003

danto said:

Thank you to everyone who commented on the picture above. I agree that with practice, hopefully, my shots will improve. And yes, I probably should invest in a conversion lens too.

I use auto-focus for many of my shots although I not always 100% happy with the results. In this instance, for example, I would have liked the head of the butterfly to be sharper. Strangely, the shot makes me think of Alice in Wonderland. The flowers seem huge and unreal (fairyland type) and the butterfly almost looks like it is waiting to say something. I have a good imagination, haven’t I?

Thank you for your butterfly photo, Mark. It is very similar to several I took but yours is better focussed. I also like its splashes of colours. I must admit, though, that I found those butterflies with their hairy body rather scruffy looking.

Here is another one I took. It is quite different from the first one.

Mark Ransom · Sep 30, 2003

I really like your compositions. The butterflies are almost unnecessary.

Your second pic is different from the first because it's a different kind of butterfly! The first is a Painted Lady, the second is a Small Tortoiseshell.

danto said:
danto said:

http://members.rogers.com/danto/butfloyel.jpg

Click to expand...

Thank you to everyone who commented on the picture above. I agree
that with practice, hopefully, my shots will improve. And yes, I
probably should invest in a conversion lens too.

I use auto-focus for many of my shots although I not always 100%
happy with the results. In this instance, for example, I would have
liked the head of the butterfly to be sharper. Strangely, the shot
makes me think of Alice in Wonderland. The flowers seem huge and
unreal (fairyland type) and the butterfly almost looks like it is
waiting to say something. I have a good imagination, haven’t I?

Thank you for your butterfly photo, Mark. It is very similar to
several I took but yours is better focussed. I also like its
splashes of colours. I must admit, though, that I found those
butterflies with their hairy body rather scruffy looking.

Here is another one I took. It is quite different from the first one.
http://members.rogers.com/danto/butflopink.jpg

nc134344 · Sep 30, 2003

Mark Ransom said:
Your second pic is different from the first because it's a
different kind of butterfly! The first is a Painted Lady, the
second is a Small Tortoiseshell.......

Not!

Both are "The Painted Lady."
Look it up..........

Mark Ransom · Oct 1, 2003

I did look it up! They're similar, but not identical.

The Painted Lady:
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/usa/225.htm

The Small Tortoiseshell:
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/usa/180.htm

Once I had the ID, I did a search for better pictures just to double check.

ncbarngirl said:
Not!

Both are "The Painted Lady."
Look it up..........

danto · Oct 1, 2003

I am not a butterfly expert but I am not so sure they are both PL.

The one in the second shot I posted yesterday, among the pink and yellow flowers is a nymphalis urticae, exactly like on this site http://www.nabu-schorndorf.de/Kleiner-Fuchs.htm . I don’t understand German but the picture speaks for itself.

The other (my first post) is a Vanessa Cardui, a PL, as you can see again on this German site: http://www.nabu-schorndorf.de/Distelfalter.htm

Both photos were taken in Northern France this summer, so one thing is for sure: those butterflies are French (smile).
Below are two more pics of those two types.

Mark Ransom · Oct 1, 2003

I was pretty sure of my ID before I posted.

I took these two while in Switzerland this spring. The one I posted earlier was taken here at home in the US (Minnesota).

danto said:
I am not a butterfly expert but I am not so sure they are both PL.

The one in the second shot I posted yesterday, among the pink and
yellow flowers is a nymphalis urticae, exactly like on this site
http://www.nabu-schorndorf.de/Kleiner-Fuchs.htm . I don’t
understand German but the picture speaks for itself.

The other (my first post) is a Vanessa Cardui, a PL, as you can see
again on this German site:
http://www.nabu-schorndorf.de/Distelfalter.htm

Both photos were taken in Northern France this summer, so one thing
is for sure: those butterflies are French (smile).

nc134344 · Oct 1, 2003

dnato,

I do agree now on the butterfly pictures that you posted today!

The first picture shows the wing/contours and such to tell the difference on the photos between the "nymphalis urticae." and our PL.

Keep up the good work!

danto said:
I am not a butterfly expert but I am not so sure they are both PL.

The one in the second shot I posted yesterday, among the pink and
yellow flowers is a nymphalis urticae, exactly like on this site
http://www.nabu-schorndorf.de/Kleiner-Fuchs.htm . I don’t
understand German but the picture speaks for itself.

The other (my first post) is a Vanessa Cardui, a PL, as you can see
again on this German site:
http://www.nabu-schorndorf.de/Distelfalter.htm

Both photos were taken in Northern France this summer, so one thing
is for sure: those butterflies are French (smile).
Below are two more pics of those two types.

Stan Robins · Oct 1, 2003

Mark Ransom said:
I really like your compositions. The butterflies are almost
unnecessary.

Your second pic is different from the first because it's a
different kind of butterfly! The first is a Painted Lady, the
second is a Small Tortoiseshell.

I took this with my V1 in Minnesota 2 days ago. I sent the link to a few friends, calling it a Monarch. I got pretty frustrated comparing it to Monarch pics on the web. So I figured "What the hell, it's orange and black, so it must be a Monarch." Thanks for the species information.

--
Stan Robins
Pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/stanrobins/public

Mark Ransom · Oct 1, 2003

I'm in Minneapolis too. Those butterflies were everywhere; there was even an article in the local paper about it.

http://www.startribune.com/viewers/story.php?story=4101910

Strangely enough I haven't seen too many Monarchs this year. Haven't had a change to get pictures of any. By this time they've probably all migrated south.

Stan Robins said:
Mark Ransom said:

I really like your compositions. The butterflies are almost
unnecessary.

Your second pic is different from the first because it's a
different kind of butterfly! The first is a Painted Lady, the
second is a Small Tortoiseshell.

Click to expand...

I took this with my V1 in Minnesota 2 days ago. I sent the link to
a few friends, calling it a Monarch. I got pretty frustrated
comparing it to Monarch pics on the web. So I figured "What the
hell, it's orange and black, so it must be a Monarch." Thanks for
the species information.

http://www.pbase.com/image/21883899

--
Stan Robins
Pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/stanrobins/public

EKHatch · Oct 2, 2003

Some people might say that the yellow flowers are overwhelming and distract from the butterfly. I don't agree; I like this picture very much. It has brilliant color, good lighting, and a real sense of liveliness. It's almost a butterfly's point-of-view! Great shot.

PS -- You might think about posting this picture into Norm Rich's exercise on color.

danto said:
I am experimenting taking butterflies pics with my 717. Here is one
that I cropped although I am not so sure it is good enough to post.

I would appreciate your comments for improvement. Thank you.

--
Share the beauty in the commonplace

Stan Robins · Oct 2, 2003

--
Stan Robins
Pbase supporter
http://www.pbase.com/stanrobins/public

danto · Oct 3, 2003

Thank you Eric for your nice comment and your suggestion. I did post it on Norm Rich'sa thread.

Eric Hatch said:
Some people might say that the yellow flowers are overwhelming and
distract from the butterfly. I don't agree; I like this picture
very much. It has brilliant color, good lighting, and a real sense
of liveliness. It's almost a butterfly's point-of-view! Great
shot.

PS -- You might think about posting this picture into Norm Rich's
exercise on color.

Your comments on this butterfly shot would be appreciated

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