butterfly...

[KingOfNoobs]

hi... i'm beginner here... just started photography not long ago... so hopping pros here can help me improving... ;p

1.in what area is critique to be sought?
I would like to know if the blurring effect on the wings make it better... and should i crop the image remove the side and only the whole butterfly...??

2.what one hopes to achieve with the piece of work?
make people feel 'WOW' when look at it...

3.under what circumstance is the picture taken?
taken in a cage full of trees(singapore zoo)... luckily the lighting where the butterfly stayed was quiet supportive...

4.what the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture
the blurring effect of the wings... showing that it is active...

so here is the photo...

 

[Bcool]

One sure way of making a great butterfly image and having the viewers go "WOW" is to show the spendour and colors of the BF like this. Randy Harrison is one of America top butterfly photographer and I am sure you can see why. Alternatively you can pick up a lot of tips from the the extremely talented butterfly shooters down in the macro section here.

Certainly your image don't make the cut primary because the BF is small in the frame and being overpowered by the under exposed and messy background. Furthermore having a blurry half open wing doesn't equate to showing that it is active and a black and white butterfly like the Mangrove tree nymph(Idea leuconoe clara) isn't going to get you the "WOW" that you want.

Most butt shooters will recommend that the best way to showcase a BF is to get the wing parallel to the plane of the camera and to go in close with a aperture value of F8 or more to get the image sharp. A clean background also helps to make the butterfly 'pop' out.
Hope this will help you on your road down butterfly photography.

 

[foxtwo]

I think it's a really refreshing take on butt shooting. Sure you can shoot a butterfly as a butterfly but why not shoot it as art if you can. You really need to do some PS to say "WOW". How to WOW with such a dull gloomy pic.

Here's a fast edited version with curves, vibrance, selective colour, slight dodge & burn, inceased brightness & contrast. But I can't find a good crop, so next time shoot with a better bg and a prettier butterfly then use the pic as a wallpaper or something.

Shoot more!

 

[Junha0]

i think the butterfly is nt distinct enuff.. maybe due to lack of colour and eye catchy enuff..

 

[jo-squared]

In my opinion, I feel that if you want to achieve the 'WOW' effect, the butterfly should definitely be static.
With the moving wings, you totally lose the texture, colour, patterns and shape of the butterfly.

Also, the background steals the attention from the butterfly.
Using a greater depth of field can help to isolate the butterfly from the background

Hope this helped!

 

[ravenblackhart]

Don't think the "wow" effect is there. Not enough contrast in the picture. I feel butterfly pics should be bright and vibrant and colourful to refelct their splendidness... and should be static, so that you can admire the texture, the curves, and the form.