Butterfly 01

I'm back in town for a few days (be forewarned!) :-D I was in DC last week, and had a quick chance to visit the live butterfly exhibit at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum. I'll have a few more butterfly shots, eventually. How's this for a start?

Have never done insect/butterfly photography before. Any input,

comments, ratings, etc. are greatly appreciated! :-)

Great shot, but I think I would have backed off a bit so that the butterfly didn't fill the frame. Still a great shot.

Thanks, Jen - in fact the original shot included more of the surroundings, but I thought it might "work" better if I cropped it in tight. If I have time later, I'll post the original framing for comparison.

This is great. Well focused and good DOF.

Welcome back!

 

Great start to an insect niche, Lou Ann. Perhaps backing off is a good idea - but only a little. The composition, color palate, DOF and lighting here are terrific. Brava!

Great DOF, very clear and sharp. The background competes with the butterfly, so I had to play with it a little.

Excellent!

Yay! I feel like I just arrived back home to a bunch of my friends waiting for me. :-)

 

You know, the thing that really makes me question whether this photo is "good" or not is the backlighting. I wanted the butterfly better lit and the background darker. Maybe some day if I have time, make a layer mask with the butterfly/flower and play with the levels and brightness on the two parts of the image. Thanks for your version, Richard!

 

It's good to be back you guys ... I have only a couple of days home before heading out again. Thanks for not giving up on me! :-D

hey Lou Ann! i've missed you this past week. i hope you are getting some job offers in DC! this is really pretty. great detail.

Welcome back. We all notice when your missing! Great shot of the butterfly and so much detail.

Here's the original ... unaltered.....

Nice shot, Lou Ann. Nicely balanced and I like the lighting. Somewhere between the original and the "brightened" butterfly would work for me.

Beautiful macro, Lou Anne, with the butterfly in a perfect position & pose for you.