I always look forward to when the coneflowers bloom. They always draw the butterflies, and often, hummingbirds. I identify this as a female because the female is much more conspicuously mottled above on both wings, and has much-more-prominent glassy spots in FW.
Specific Feedback Requested
Any. Wish I had a bit more dof.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Can 60D
Canon 70-300 IS USM zoom @ 210mm
f/6.7
1/250 sec.
ISO 800
Hand Held
Processed in ACR for exposure and cropping. Topaz De-noise applied.
I like the comp and the head of the skipper is nice and sharp. The shallow DOF produced an ideal BG, but I wish that the skipper and flower were in focus. It is a personal preference of mine so other viewers may find the DOF more than adequate. A good solution would be to try getting a series of images for stacking. Other than that, the comp is nice and you were able to get a very nice picture of this skipper. Well done…Jim
Terry, I love coneflowers too, and planted some in my garden hoping to attract a few butterflies. The Japanese Beatle (I’m not sure that is the official name) eats on the petals though, so I need to find a way to discourage them without using pesticides, if I can.
I really like this shot, and I’m okay with the DOF. It certainly would have been nice to get all of the wings in focus, but you got the head and front part, which works for me. You might could have shot with f9, and got more in focus and still have the background is nice and smooth, which makes the flower and the butterfly stand out nicely.
Terry, the coneflower looks especially good here and your framing looks good as well. Getting the head/eyes of the duskywing sharp does let this view work, but as others (and you) have said, more dof, for sharp wings would be better. When shooting long lens, close-ups or small scenes, I’m always surprised at how limited the dof is, so going to f/11 may still not be enough. Hopefully, I’m wrong and you’ll do even better on your next try.
