Scarce Tortoiseshell

Image Critiques Macro/Close-up Critiques
1

Scarce Tortoiseshell
Scarce Tortoiseshell1446×2000 452 KB

This Nymphalis xanthomelas was darting around a carpark area in one of the best butterfly areas in the north of S Korea. After resting on a tyre of the car, it decided one of the attractive silver birches nearby would yield a better backdrop, and I agreed.

Specific Feedback Requested

Any comment and critique welcome.

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
D500 + 105mm macro lens - f13 1/1250 ISO 2000

Cropped by 50% - Highlights lowered in PS - Topaz Denoise and a little Topaz Sharpen.

2

What a beauty! Glad you saw it and had your rig to hand. I can’t put my finger on it, but I think this needs a different crop. Something just feels not right…maybe I should have a go with it. Otherwise, the colors and exposure look great and the sharpness is spot on.

3

Great fine Mike. The colors and details are amazing. I kind of see what Kris is saying, I guess I would try rotating in 180 degrees and try a landscape view by cropping the top and bottom to focus on the butterfly more. I love the color and the background which really brings out the subject. I use those same filters in Photoshop but as a smart object. I do not care for the masking in Sharpen AI so the mask in Photoshop is nicer to use. I just invert the mask to hide all and use the bush as needed.

4

Mike: Really glad that it chose to cooperate and find a nice perch. I did crop this tighter and think I like it a little better this way but its a great capture of a beautiful subject. >=))>

Mike
Mike1230×1538 172 KB

1 Like
5

Mike this is a vastly better perch than a tire! :grinning: The butterfly stands out very well against that white birch. Angling the tree across the frame works well and you’ve got excellent details in the butterfly.

6

Very nice, Mike. I like Bill’s crop. That butterfly sure shows up well on that birch bark. Very nice find and capture.

7

Thanks everyone for your comments. Yes, I too like Bill’s crop more, as it enlarges the butterfly and moves it off-centre. Thanks, @Bill_Fach.

8

Really nice look at this butterfly, Mike. All the techs are there to make this an outstanding shot, cropping aside. Nice work.

9

Wonderful capture, and I think @Bill_Fach’s crop is just right! Wonderful detail and color. The BG vegetation is perfectly OOF and the color is lovely – bent just slightly toward warm (rather than a more cyan green), which complements the warmth of the subject.