Butterflies

[Jen]

:hi: Hi guys here are some butterfly pics that i took with my new camera (Canon 500D) when i went to the Zoo last month (OMG it was so hot in there) i was in there for about 45 minutes :lol: its the first time i really had a bit of a play with the camera :thumbsup:
And OMG im in love with these pics :lol: well they prob arnt up to some of the awsome pics that fly around here but hey gotta start somewhere ;)

I like them anyway :D

Thanks for looking :P any tips would be great :thanx:

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[lacad01]

Super shots Jen, they've come out really well :thumbsup: Am sure the macro gurus will have some good tips :)

[floyd_2]

Great shots Jen. I've always wanted to get some decent butterfly shots. The first one with the blurred background is the most eyecatching. Nice use of depth of field to isolate the subject. The leaf leads your eye nicely to the butterfly.

Have you thought of using Bibble Pro or other post processing software to just add a touch more sharpness / clarity to the shots? Even just a little unsharp masking in photoshop would look great!

Dean

[Lumen Miner]

Oh stunning!!
Incredible details!
What lens are you shooting these with?
Did you PP them at all? I think you have even more details, to bring out there also. :)

Great stuff Liz, keep them coming!!

[Liz]

Wow ... great pics Jen!!! Zoos are a great resource for all photgraphers ;)
The first is the Cairns Birdwing, which floats around my garden ... I have a similiar photo. :)

[Jen]

:thanx::thanx: Thanks guys i just used the 55-250mm lens.
Yeah the first one is my fav :)

I havnt done any cropping or editing the pic i wouldnt know how to yet :lol:

Ummmm what is PP :question:

[jjjnettie]

Beautiful photos Jen.:)
It's fantastic to have another fem contributing images to the forum.:thumbsup:

[bloodhound31]

#3!!!!! Magnificent!

Baz.

[floyd_2]

PP is Post Processing Jen - like unsharp masking, altering histograms etc. You'll get to that stage in no time!!

[Jen]

:thanx::thanx::thanx:
Thanks Adam, Dean, Mitch, Liz, Baz and JJJ :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Im just a beginner with this photography stuff ive been bitten again havnt i :lol::lol::lol:

[Kevnool]

Jen your shots are sweet.
That prezzie is working real well.
Cheers Kev.

[Jen]

:thanx::thanx:

Thanks Kev :D

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[troypiggo]

Ooh, well done. Some very pretty butterflies there. I reckon we wouldn't have to push you too much more to bring you to the dark side - MACRO! Hahaha.

[Lumen Miner]

Oh, I remember the good 'ole days before I knew how to PP. It is a grand time, the image out of the camera is as good as it gets and you are always satisfied. A very simplistic yet awesome time, photography is all about fun.

Knowing how to PP is essential for perfecting images yet is a double-sided sword, it leaves you trying to analyse all you photos for something better.


When you do want to start, download Gimp, it's freeware. http://www.gimp.org/downloads/
Start by applying a simple Un-sharp mask to bring out the details.
Then move onto the colour curves, this simply adjusts brightness.
after that you can play with colour saturation / contrast to add some "PoP" to the image.

Another easier option especially if processing sounds a drag, check your in camera parameters for saturation, contrast, sharpness and colourtone. my old 350d lets you create your own settings. If you increase them all by +1 or 2 then it will process them in camera. I did this for quite some time, sometimes it does it better than manually.


Did load a version of your first image, adjusted, but I wasn't happy with the results so removed it. :)

[Jen]

:thanks::thanks:
:hi: Hi Troy, thanks yeah when we got the camera i seen the macro lens there too and i was like ooooo..... i would love one of those :)
Hubby looked at the price then looked at me and said we can get that at a later date cant we :confused2: :question:

Mmmmm the dark side sounds pretty good to me ;)

:whistle::whistle:

[Lumen Miner]

A 200mm at minimum working distance is already in the realms of macro. I think she might already be here and doesn't even know it yet. :)

[Jen]

:lol::lol: lol Mitch that sounds much more complicated than just pushing a button and loading it up on the computer :P

What happened to the good old days :question: wasnt a picture taken for the moment not to be messed with :rofl:Sounds like cheating when you mess with the pic LOL


MMM i still like the sound of the dark side ;)

[DavidU]

Dear Macrojen, fabulous effort ! #3 is a winner.:D

[spacezebra]

Beautiful pics Jen.

Cheers Petra d.

[Jen]

:thanx::thanx:
Thanks Dave & Petra ;)

[Lumen Miner]

Even the best photographers PP their images, some more-so than others.

I know what you mean about the good 'ole days. I look at it this way though, the camera is already capturing things you eyes never could, whether that be details due to the lens zoom or length of exposure or increase / decrease in apeture to solve light issues. PP an image is just taking that a little further towards perfection.

Lets face it, if we wanted "that moment" we would paint a picture of what "we" saw. We don't really want the exact frame, more a representation of what it means to us.

PP just helps us get, to where we want to be with an image. In my opinion I would rather leave most of my images, too often I find though, to get the "PoP" "WoW" factor I need to process them.