Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
I spotted this monarch in my yard and quickly snapped a shot.
ISO200 450MM 0ev f5.6 1/320s
They are irresistible aren’t they? Not super fast butterflies, but fast enough that you missed the focus here. Bummer. But the colors look nice and I like the way the bug and the flower sort of line up and point the same way. One thing I find helpful with photographing insects is to have focus peaking turned on. If you have a mirrorless camera that isn’t too old you probably have this feature and it’s saved my bacon more than once!
Hi Jamie. A nice catch of this beauty. As Kris said, the focus seems a bit off, but the composition is excellent. You might also try keeping your iso a bit higher as 1/320th is getting pretty sketchy for hand holding at 450 mm, though being close to the subject helps a lot. Exposure looks excellent.
This image fits perfectly into the Macro and Close-up category and you’ll get more input if it’s there, so I’m going to move it for you (except something seems to be bugging the system right now, so I’ll do it when it’s fixed).
I love the composition and colors and background fits perfectly. Using a higher iso and more depth of field with also help. These butterflies are beautiful and can be predictable as they tend to return the same flowers.
Hi Jamie, I think others have given you some good advice, so I won’t repeat. I love shooting butterflies. Sometimes the autofocus wants to lock onto the wings (closer to the camera) so you have to watch for that, which is why the focus peaking is so important. I hope you have more chances to capture this flower with a beautiful butterfly on it, and get that focus right on the eye. I’m looking forward to enjoying them. I haven’t been able to get out to see and shoot them for awhile.
