A visit to the community gardens

Visited a local community gardens recently and found some butterflies on zinnia. I tried to align the subject flower with other flowers in the background for a complimentary effect.
The last image is of a very tattered Tiger Swallowtail - guess I included it showing the “cycle of nature” even though it’s in rough shape :grin: .

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Technical Details

Canon 90D, 70-200 f2.8L IS II, 1.4x extender III
ISO 400, f14, 1/500s, hand held

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These are all very nice shots with good technique.

I especially like the first one though. No idea why but I find the composition more appealing for some reason. Maybe the dynamic pose of the butterfly (no parts obscured by the flower) and the more or less perfect side shot of the flower. It feels more ordered/structured to me at least.

The other two are really good as well, but personally, I might try to dodge & burn the head of the monarch ever so slightly to bring out more details in the face

A nice assortment of butterflies on the Zinna flower, and I love how you have the flowers of the same color oof in the BG. I too like the first shot the best I think. I agree with @Ingemar_Holmkvist on possibly burning/dodging the head of the Monarch to reveal his face a bit more. I’m so glad that you included the Tiger Swallowtail even though it is tattered, it reveals the cycle of nature. Placing it last in the lineup was perfect too!

Allen, these all look very good. The speckled background adds excellent context. You’ve also got a good transition from fresh to somewhat older to very aged. It’s always fun to have the assumption that butterflies are “delicate” counteracted by seeing how tattered they can get and keep on with their business.

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