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Yellow and Orange, Analogous colors to be sure, yet in this image the orange, while bright and sassy tends to dull the wonderful yellows of the Swallowtail. A conundrum of balance I just can’t seem to get right.
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Image Description
Thunderboomers were minutes away and the wind was kicking my poor Zinnias all over the place, but this guy was as determined to get another good sip as I was to get him doing it. Hence the crazy camera settings. This was the first Swallowtail in the garden this year even though the Gulf Fritillaries are sipping away with unbridled energy (I have over a 1,000 Zinnias, Cosmos, Sunflowers and Marigolds to mention a few). The Monarchs will soon follow when the milkweed comes into full bloom.
Technical Details
NIKKOR Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR ƒ/4.5 57mm 1/4000s
Post: ACR, Photoshop and a bit of messing about with TK9
Specific Feedback
The Z50 is only a 21 MP camera and while it produces pretty sharp images, I wonder if the lack of MP data is more prominent in how the sensor treats color over sharpness or even contrast. (The color of the Zinnia is spot on.) I need suggestions, please!
Critique Template
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Chris, I just love the colors of this butterfly. You captured a nice face on shot with his wing positioned nicely. It is a shame his wing is damaged so, but it probably shows how close he came to not being able to pose for you. Yes, the flower is a brighter color than he is, but it doesn’t bother me so much. His beauty and his size in comparison to the bloom makes him the center of attention for me.
Very nice closeup with a very interesting symmetrical pose. (The battle scars can be forgiven – he survived.) The butterfly has wonderful sharpness, the DOF on the flower is enough and the BG is soft enough. I don’t know what the underwings of this gorgeous butterfly would look like, having only had brief glances of the stunning topsides, but it sounds like they are not coming out as yellow as they should. So it sounds like the issue is separation of yellows and oranges. That would probably be more a matter of the color profile, and none are perfect. I assume you’ve tried the various ones in ACR. A linear profile might give a cleaner starting point? The Nikon raw conversion software should give a comparison, with the inside information on the sensor. Since the flower is good, my practical solution would be to select the butterfly and play with the color range sliders at the bottom of the screen in Hue-Saturation, or try Selective Color, or get really desperate and mess with the Primary sliders in the Calibration tab. (But that can really ruin your day.)
I pretty much tried all your suggestions and earlier this afternoon, separated the butterfly from the flower and put it on a white BG, and viola, the yellows are just right. It’s just the closeness of color values in the color palate that does a number on the brain as if fights itself in distinguishing one from the other. I adjust the sliders in the calibration tab all the time, though as the priest said in the movie Angels & Demons, I “do it very gently.”
Interesting, Chris. When I cover the flower I do see a very slight warming of the yellows in the butterfly. The only way I can think of making it do what you want is to process the two separately to make fool our minds, but for my taste, this is just fine as-is.
I think this one is great as is Chris. I actually like the rough wing. Your DOF is really good on the BF, and works well for the flower and the BG. Interesting phenomenon with the mixture of colors. Great study.
I love the lens on this little camera. It’s a far cry from the kit lenses we had on the old D52 and 5300’s. I did mute the greens a bit but didn’t have to soften anything in the BG. Thanks for the comments, Ed.
Chris, this is an outstanding “from the front and below” shot of this Giant Swallowtail. I think the colors look fine as presented and I love the “raised in victory” wing position and the damage showing its toughness. Because of the slight tilt to the right, I’d suggest moving the frame slightly, shifting the flower and BF to the left. As a very minor nit, you might do a local desaturatio of the orange bit in the background. This is a striking photo.
Hi, Mark. Good point on the orange flower in the back. I did desaturate it a bit but will explore another 25% or so. I moved the butterfly in the frame so no matter where your eyes were, the Swallowtail was always looking at you…a silly leftover from my early days as an art major admiring the portraits done in this manner. Thanks for the input.
Chris: I’m late to this party but this is exceptional. I don’t mind the battered wing and think it gives it some character. I do think I would make the OOF orange flower go away as it does pull my eye a bit. Very nicely done. >=))>
