A trip to Big Bend National Park last August resulted in a completely different direction for shooting. I went there to do astro, but the cloud cover decided otherwise. Given that the area had been experiencing some rain and moderate temperatures, the wildflowers were in abundance, and the butterflies plentiful. So I worked on making lemonade and had a great time chasing them down.
Self Critique
I think most folks like butterflies, and my intent is to capitalize on that. These images are intended to be, like the insect, light and airy, and to capture/reflect my feelings about them. I like butterflies: they make me smile. My concern with any group of images is always consistency, creating context, and holding the viewer’s interest.
Creative Direction
Given that most people have had some sort of experience with butterflies, and I’m assuming positive ones at that, I hope to evoke those emotions. If I can encourage the viewer to recall memories, so much the better.
Specific Feedback
My main interest in feedback would center on:
Overall consistency / cohesion
Aesthetic and mood
Crop and color
Intent of the project
Gallery on your website
Additional Details: While I’m interested in sharing work such as this, my main goal is the process of pulling together images into a cohesive set.
Gary, this is a very nice series. You have several quality images, and I think you chose some strong compositions in pretty much every case. I do think three of them—1, 4, and 5—could be made even stronger by trimming them a bit to reduce the empty space and ensure the background textures and patterns have more even distribution through the frame.
1: The left feels like a void, and even the top is slightly empty, since they don’t possess the bold and beautiful yellow flowers. I think slight crops (more from the left than the top) would help the good stuff fill the frame even better.
4: Same thing here with the top. The slanted lines titling through the frame are strong throughout… except for the top, where they mostly disappear. While you don’t want to tuck that butterfly too tightly agains the top corner, I do think a slight trim could help.
5: I really like the distribution of the background branches and those white flowers… but the latter are missing from the bottom 15-20% of the frame. Coming in from the bottom (perhaps above the bottom 2-3 green leaves, so not too high..?) may help the whole thing feel more balanced since the white flower texture would more or less fill the frame.
Hi Gary. I think Max’s suggestions are excellent. I really like the high key backgrounds and the fact that all the flowers are yellow helps with the sense of continuity. To me the Funereal Duskywing (if Google is right) feels out of place with all the oranges and the white and doesn’t elicit the same sort of buoyant feelings that the others do.
Hi Gary,
Projects are so hard to put together. We want to have a specific number of images, and we want variety, but then sometimes the best ones are overshadowed by one or two that doesn’t have the same spirit or pull.
To me, the third image creates a lull. It’s not just the lack of vibrant color. It’s also the flat from the top pose, which is less interesting, especially for a butterfly without particularly fancy wing colors and lines.
I like the idea of cropping mentioned above, but I might even go further. With such a small species, would perhaps square crops with flower, stem, background, and butterfly create another sense of coherence, with the pose, direction, butterfly colors creating the variety we need in a series like this?
Do you have a few more with other butterflies? Are you in an area where you can focus on continuing the project this spring? Do you have yellow flowers in your yard that you can use to attract them and keep the same palette?
I’m looking forward to seeing more of these. I absolutely love the background colors here. Very light, airy, and ephemeral, like the species itself.
ML
Very nice, Gary, and I think you have received some excellent advice. I am sorry for being late but I have been working around the house here getting ready for company. I have never tried to do a “project” before other than a cluster of my images on the wall which I guess could be considered a project. They are all very nice images. Looking forward to seeing more should you pursue this project.
@Marylynne_Diggs Appreciate your comments. These images are clearly not as successful as I had hoped, so I will take the feedback and try to figure out how to go forward.
@Shirley_Freeman Never apologize for having a life I think that projects are harder than individual images, and where I want to spend more of my time. Thank you!
Gary: I’m late to this party but wanted to add my kudos for a fine series. I’m pretty conventional when it comes to shooting butterflies but some of the crops, especially #1 are intriguing. Of the bunch #4 and #5 are my favorites and really nicely done. The pastel color palettes on the BGs are killer. Very nicely done. >=))>
I think that projects are harder than individual images, and where I want to spend more of my time. Thank you!