The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Named after its dark, somber coloration patterns. The Funereal Duskywing butterfly (Erynnis funeralis) ranges from Texas and the Southwest and into Argentina. It can also be found to the north in the U.S. Great Plains and along the Mississippi Valley. - Butterflies at Home
Specific Feedback
Another image captured with the RF-S 18-150 IS STM kit lens that came with the Canon R7. I think this image shows just a bit of softness around the butterfly’s head, but that might be the fault of the photographer more than the lens. Still, I am pleased with this photo, and the performance of the lens.
Technical Details
Canon RF-S 18-150mm IS STM, handheld, processed in ACR and PSE 2020 for exposure and cropping, Topaz DeNoise
Terry, I never saw one of these before, so I’m enjoying it. The color of the BG is complimented with the color of the flower. Yes, the head is a bit soft. The flower and most of the wings are sharp, so it has me wondering if it might be the 1/400 SS that could have been the culprit (never blame the photographer, right?). He may have been moving those parts of his body faster, and that wasn’t quite enough SS. Just a thought. I can’t tell even on the large version if it is motion, but the rest of the DOF makes me think that might be the case.
Thanks @Shirley_Freeman. I had never seen one of these before, either. I’ve seen many Horace’s Duskywings, to which this butterfly is related, but according to my research this butterfly is much more rare in my neck of the woods. I thought my ss might have been too slow, but I have another photo of him facing the other direction in which the entire butterfly is sharp, so I’m wondering if I just missed with the focus in this one. I would have posted that one, but the coneflower in it is darker, and I can’t seem to get it processed where I want it!
A nice capture with a lovely perch and BG. The tip of the left wing, across the back wings and the center of the flower are sharp. The soft head and right wing of the butterfly are not in the plane of focus. It is super-narrow in a closeup like this. I’m guessing the AF grabbed the flower parts. With the R5, and I’ll bet with your R7, going to the smallest point focus setting could have been a problem if you got it right on the head, as there is not a lot of contrast there. And handholding it could have been difficult to keep it there. The focus array that shows a point and 4 surrounding areas (“Expand” on my R5) or the “1-Point” would possibly work best. This is a tricky subject to focus on at best.
Thanks @Diane_Miller. You confirmed what I suspected - operator error. I have the focus set on one point most of the time. I only go to expanded focus if I anticipate the subject might move; e.g., a fox running or a bird flying.
Nice capture of a gorgeous butterfly. I have little if anything to add to the images itself (really nice colors btw). It’s a bit of a shame on the missed focus (I have a feeling @Diane_Miller is correct here and the camera has focused more on the flower than the butterfly’s head.
Have you tried using more “traditional” close-up focusing techniques for these shots? Turn on manual focus and focus peaking and then either use the focus ring or move your whole body/camera until what you want is in focus. If you are close to the subject (so the motion needed to shift focus is rather small) the latter technique is surprisingly good (basically just rock your body back and forth until what you want snaps into focus). If you are further away just turning the focus ring might yield better results than using autofocus. The best is to just explore and see what methods work the best given the current situation…
