The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.
Self Critique
The Tucson botanical Gardens has opened the butterfly house again.
Creative direction
I want to bring the subject out in the best way.
Specific Feedback
Composition, lighting, anything like that. This house someone can get very close to a butterfly at a number of angles.
Technical Details
r6m2 rf 100-500 at 363mm f/16 iso 1600
Description
I am looking for ways to improve the butterfly photography and things to consider. It is warm and humid inside so quite a range of butterflies and plants.
Dean, this is one beautiful butterfly! I don’t think I have seen one like it. I also like the flower behind it, but it does seem to be calling for attention. So I am wondering if cropped some from the right it would be all about the butterfly. Also, you could take some from the top, or just clone out the tip of a leaf that is coming in from the top. You might could also brush some of the brightness out of some of the leaves that are oof in the BG, Just a thought. That is a beauty, and you really captured nice details and colors in him.
You ask for suggestions, so, as well as Shirley’s specific advice, I’d just add: use a flash with diffuser (here it would have lit up the head more), separate the butterfly from a competing subject, which is what the flower is here (i.e. just shoot bf and leaves); lastly, choose a less ragged specimen (a big ask, I know, especially in a butterfly house). You got a good angle here for focus on this lovely malachite.
Thank you for the feedback @Shirley_Freeman and @Mike_Friel. I posted a update. I have the flash that Shirley uses a lot so I need to do some testing on flashing and see what works best.
Oh Dean, I wrote my comment while tired I guess. I got my right mixed up with my left!!! Now I am wondering if a crop off the left making it more of a square would help. I really like the flower though. Maybe because I’m not familiar with it. I feel like now that there is less room for him to “move”.
I am so glad that you got that flash, Dean. It is a bit bulky at times, but the things you can do with it is amazing. I haven’t even taken full advantage of it, as the one I learned it from, Thomas Shahan, used a DIY difuser with the flash heads mostly in one place. I watched a video the other day ( The best flash for macro photography - YouTube which I thought was really good. I like his diffusers, but they are sold in the UK and out of stock at the moment. I have started using a couple Vello 8" octagon shaped softbox type diffusers. I saw B&H had some that are 5X4, that would probably work better. Anyway, my flash after probably 6-7 years is starting to over flash at times, so I ordered a used one from B&H, and it is supposed to arrive today. I wish you the very best with it.
Another vote for flash in situations like this, Dean. What bothers me about this image is the darkness of the body compared with the wings and the antennae being against that dark background. Flash would help with both of those.
Dean: I actually like the comp of the original best of all. The crops don’t work for me. The first cuts off the orchid on the bottom at an awkward spot and there is too little room on the left in the second. Both look like mistakes and not intentional. My general rule when pondering cutting off parts of flowers is to cut off enough that it is obviously intentional or go wider and give them some room. I actually like that you can tell the BG flower is an orchid but it’s oof enough for me to not grab too much attention. I think it’s a great BG for the butterfly. >=))>
It is a difficult to improve via cropping. The light colored Phalaenopsis makes the malachite butterfly stand out. Fill flash set at -2ev will help brighten the subject and put detail in the shadows. However, flash may actually pull out thing in the RH BG that are obscured by darkness…Jim
For me, Dean, I like the last crop best. I hope you are enjoying your new flash. I’m still waiting for FedEx to deliver my used one. I was very disappoint that the diffusers that are made special for that flash seems to only be sold in UK and EU. Maybe eventually we can get them in the US. I will try to use what I have in the mean time.
