Monarch

Caught this girl refueling on a coneflower.

What technical feedback would you like if any? Any

What artistic feedback would you like if any? Any

Pertinent technical details or techniques: Canon 60D, Canon 70-300mm IS USM Zoom, f/8, 1/500 sec., ISO 2000, Hand held. Processed in Canon DPP and PSE 2020 for exposure and color.

If you would like your image to be eligible for a feature on the NPN Instagram (@NaturePhotoNet), add the tag ‘ig’ and leave your Instagram username below.
1 Like

Terry, the age difference between this Monarch and Allen’s is quite striking. The details here look very good both in the coneflower’s center and in the Monarch.

1 Like

Thanks, Mark. Yes, I wonder if this butterfly is from this years’ hatch?

I’m so glad this girl had to refuel and posed for you, Terry. You did a fine job capturing the details in both the flower and the BF.

1 Like

Thank you, Shirley. She was a beauty.

1 Like

Terry: Mark took the words right out of my mouth regarding this young monarch vs Allen’s old timer. Nice find and a fine capture. >=))>

1 Like

Thanks, Bill. She was a beauty, for sure.

Hi Terry, very pristine monarch and well captured! The colors here work very well together. I’m wondering if the upper wing on the monarch was moving as it seems slightly blurred compared to the lower wing. A nice rendition of this beauty either way. Composition-wise, if mine I’d probably crop some off the left and include more on the right since that is the way the butterfly is facing.

Hey, Allen. Thanks for your thoughts. The butterfly may have been moving a bit when I snapped the shot; she was seldom still! I cropped it close on the right to exclude some ragged stems I didn’t want in the frame.

Beautiful and well captured! If you are not fixed on a certain aspect ratio, I would crop from the left just enough to eliminate the bright OOF leaf there, or else soften it (and perhaps some of the darker areas around it) with cloning with a lowered-opacity brush. Do that on a copy layer so you aren’t burning bridges. You can protect the butterfly while you clone by selecting it with the Quick Selection tool and then inverse the selection. I gave some information on refining selections (assuming that may be new to you) in a reply to your Eastern Giant Swallowtail.

1 Like

Thanks, Diane. I’ll give this one a shot, too.