The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This image is my attempt to tell a story of motion. It presents four separate images of a single Sleepy Orange traversing the field of view. The images were captured every 0.008 seconds. These images were then dropped into a photograph of the background, with a technique known as compositing. I’m a rookie at this, and I’m sure a practiced eye would find opportunities for improvement. Still, I’m pleased that a patient person with a modern camera can tell the viewer what a speeding butterfly was doing from one edge of the frame to the other.
Specific Feedback
I am interested in all of your comments.
Technical Details
OM Systems OM-1 Mark II, Post-processing in Affinity
1/5000, F9, ISO 2500, 150mm, no flash
Critique Template
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Pretty neat composite, Russ. I have never tried it before. In fact, I haven’t tried capturing continuous shooting on a BF like you did here, getting 4 consecutive shots. Pretty neat.
Excellent detail in capturing the butterfly, Russell and the background is great. Was the butterfly on the far left or far right from the original frame and the other 3 composited? Those two look more natural in the image to my eye. The yellow on the middle two seem blown out and makes the butterfly stand out more from the background. Maybe see how this looks with the highlights decreased on the yellows in those two. In any event, mission accomplished-very nice look at the butterfly in motion.
This looks like whatever the method is, it works very well. I don’t see any evidence of the cutting and pasting that is the way I probably would have tried it. I’m guessing this slices the scene up and then merges it as if it were a panorama? Regardless of how it’s done, I like the result.
A cool idea! I haven’t tried this, but I assume ideally you would have the camera on a tripod so the frames all lined up and just stack them as layers and mask in the butterfly from each, with a slightly loose mask to avoid the need for a precise cutout. That’s assuming no wind moving the BG elements. I wonder about darkening the flowers just a bit. Maybe clone out some on the edges?
Russ: Really cool idea and great use of your equipment and technique. The butterfly does look cut and pasted onto the BG but seeing the different wing positions makes this special. Very nicely done. >=))>
Thanks to all of you for your interesting comments. This was a straight ahead composite image. I used the photograph of the butterfly on the far left as the base image. Cutouts of the next three butterflies were then dropped into the base image. As several of you have mentioned, it’s not that easy to make convincing cutouts. I have a lot to learn.
Sleepy Orange - because of those droopy black eyes on the wings perhaps? I think the slightly blown-out yellows that @Allen_Brooks mentions could easily be adjusted in Lightroom with the Adjustment Brush. It’s nice that you caught the typical butterfly up-and-down bobbing motion here. I’m looking forward to trying this approach out in the Spring with the OM-1, but I’ll have to be patient. The flowering plants make a colorful BG, and are blurred just right.
