Suggestions in how to technically improve these images.
Hi Albert, I like the third one down the best. There is sufficient room around the butterfly and there is noticeable texture on the butterfly’s wings. Even though I think the sharpness could be a little better. I also like the lone purple flower amongst the spent heads. There is a nice contrast between the flower/butterfly and its surroundings. Some of the other shots seem a bit bright on the butterfly to the point of lacking detail in the wings.
Hi Albert, I think the way you have them presented here, I would select the third one also as the best. I do like the position of the butterfly in the fourth image, but his wing is a bit close to the top edge. I like the position of the butterfly, and how it appears all of the butterfly is sharp in focus. It looks like this is cropped to a square. If you have the room, I think I would make this a vertical image, and selectively darken the butterfly to bring out more details in it. They are all nice shots, and have potential, in my opinion, but you asked which one we thought was the strongest and why.
Albert: Welcome to Macro and thanks for a fine series of images. On overall merit I agree with Allen and Shirley on preferring #3 although I rank #4 a very close second. The focus and exposure on the third image just seem a bit better than the others. I do like the comp on #4 and the perch with the OOF thistle in the BG. A touch more room above the wing would suit me a bit better. #5 is unique and intriguing. I can say with certainty that in over 20 years of posting butterfly images I have never posted a profile like this. In fact most of the images I catch like this in a burst sequence find their way to the trash can. This may make me rethink. Your DOF on the thistles and their clarity boost that shot quite a bit. Similar thoughts run through my mind regarding the first image. #2 just needs more room on the right and a bit more detail in the wings. The focus there looks good so perhaps the loss of detail especially compared to #3 is from the yellow being slightly blown. Good effort on all of these and I look forward to more of your work. >=))>
Thanks Allen & Bill & Shirley.
I tend to prefer #3 as well.
Albert, Agree with above comments. For me, #4 comes a close second to #3. There is less clutter in the background in #4, but I think all of them need some sharpening. I also like the #5, which is a unique pose that is not usually seen. It is difficult to get a good background when you are shooting rapidly while following the butterfly.
Thanks Ravi.
I used Topaz Sharpen AI at the default setting.
Adding more and it started to look over-sharpened.
Interesting comparisons. I’d go with #4 if the Highlights were pulled down a little and there was a bit more room at the top. The edges are cleaner, with the only in-focus elements in the middle region of the frame. The tonalities in the bloom in the BG are a bit flat, compared to the one below it – not sure if that came from some adjustment but it might be worth tracking down. It’s a bit of an eye-catcher. But overall, lovely captures of the subject!
