When the bird photography turned out to be poor, I started chasing an orange, ragged-winged Comma butterfly. If I hadn’t seen it land, it would have disappeared from sight just a few feet away. Couldn’t help but think it was enjoying the moment, hiding in plain sight.
Feedback Requests
Issue here for me is how to show the setting, a thicket in the stream canyon at Big Morongo preserve in Southern California. I erased a few hot spots but otherwise left it alone for authenticity.
Pertinent Technical Details
Nikon Z6II, Z100-400, ISO 1250, 1/2500th (ISO and high shutter weren’t necessary but I hadn’t changed from my bird settings).
James: I actually like the chaos of the environment and think it’s a good depiction of the habitat. One thing that would improve this significantly would be more light on the head of the comma. I used a small radial gradient in ACR to bring out some of the details. The focus is spot on where it should be and the light on the wings is terrific. Nicely done. >=))>
I agree with Bill, that this shows how well these butterflies can hide. Dodging the head does make the butterfly easier to see, which is good. The chaos is nicely colorful.
