Jim's butterfly is, as he notes on the LUG site, the American Lady. A
similar side-view shot is at
<http://wisconsinbutterflies.org/butterfly/species/90-american-lady>.
I'm with George--most butterfly shots benefit from a flash. But not an
axial flash. I use a T32 on a Bogen Magic Arm to place a flash well
above the butterfly and have the flash graze the butterfly's wing at a
very low angle. This brings out the details in the wing (as I've
mentioned before). Both Jim's shot and the one on the site above lack
this "punch" that an oblique flash can give. But I disagree with George
that the background should be dark. I've seen shots of butterflies that
look like they were taken at night. I've also taken some:
<http://s124.photobucket.com/albums/p15/Dean_Hansen/MNButterflies/?action=view¤t=Bfreija5.jpg&newest=1>
Jim's shot seems to have been taken with the sun behind a cloud--there
are no shadows. OK, this means no blown highlights. But the wing is
also "flat" with no "punch" that an oblique light, e.g., the sun, would
give. Also, is the camera tilted 30 degrees counter-clockwise to bring
the butterfly to a horizontal position? Stems in the background look
like they're pointing up and to the right.
Keep shooting, Jim!
Dean
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