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This thread is here to allow you to cast your votes for the September 08 competition. See entries at gallery's, photo competition, September 2008.

You need to be registered and logged into the forums, where you'll be able to cast your votes for your three favourites. Once you've voted, that's it!

Please note : Any self votes will be removed !.

Gruditch

The link to the correct gallery is:

http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB2/g ... lbum_id=32

Cheers,

- Pete

The latest comments on this thread have been removed, since I deem them unsuitable for the UK Butterflies website.

The relevant individuals have been informed.

Cheers,

- Pete

If you don't mind me asking, Who is doing the critique this month?

Denise

I'll will give it a shot if you want. I have to say though my photography knowledge is limited, however different things mean more to be in a photo.
Em

Apparently it's supposed to be someone from the top three or four of each comp.
I've gotten half way through one, boy am I picky!!

okay then
Em

I'll add my thoughts too, I am getting better at judging good shots and taking them.

Rather than everyone getting involved - any chance we can (in the future, maybe) get someone external who is involved in wildlife photography, or is a Fellow of the RPS who regularly judges competitions around the country, to give critique? That way, the photographic element of our pictures would be analysed, without any emotional involvement of those in the Forum. (No disrespect to anyone here - I don't know if anyone has such a distinction; if you have, don't hide your light under a bushel!)
N

Gwenhwyfar wrote:...... boy am I picky!!

Yes, me too!
And I'm sure you are harder on yourself than others would be (I know I am!)
N

Sorry this is a bit late I've been away on business - here's my critique written before voting had finished, seems to have gone the way i hoped.

Congratulations to xmilehigh, FishiEE, Paul Brock and Pete.

For a month where the competition ground rules were going to be changed by Peter it turned up a crop of wonderful butterflies and pictures. We even saw they golden orb from time to time and lost the wind which helped tremendously.

Well this is my first attempt at critiquing other peoples work and if I knew how difficult it was I might not have agreed. Here goes…

Small White : Eccles

Like it, like it a lot. Balanced composition, good background, with lead in lines from the wings drawing you to the large white’s incredible eye. Great shot.

Marcinklysewicz

Technically spot on with excellent lighting with the orange on the front-side forewing coming through. The small copper’s colours are nicely balanced with the background. But, something doesn’t quite gel for me. I think it’s either too much dead space on the right or the eye getting drawn to the oof wing tips which then detract from the whole image.

Small Tortoiseshell: Dave McKormick

This is an good image spoilt by the crop. If you’d have square cropped the image it would have removed a lot of the dead grey area to the left and brought the butterfly eyes away from centre of the frame. I might have been tempted to clone out the flower on the right too.

Red Admiral : geniculata

Great RA. Good depth of field but this causes the leaf on the right to be distracting. I’m not a butterfly on buddleia fan – sorry.

Brimstone:NickB

Hmmm. I like the idea of this close crop but I’m afraid the detail’s been lost in this image to bring it to life.

Red Admiral: Ian Pratt

An accomplished RA shot. Shame about the left antenna – hate it when they do that.

Small Copper: Gruditch

I have a soft spot for small coppers and this is an excellent shot of one. Good balance between background and dof. Still not enough dof though.

Comma: Paul Brock

Love this shot. Gets my vote. Green sheen on the wings complimenting the colour of the leaf. The white clutter on the right side of the image is distracting but I’ll forgive it because of the colours and detail.

Specked Wood: Denise

Like it, well placed in the frame and technically sound – the hole in the oof part of leaf distracts from of the overall image however.

Small Copper: Paul Kipling

Special spot for small coppers and this is one of the best pictures of one I have seen. You’re drawn from the butterfly to the heather in front and back again. I like the way you have overcome the depth of focus issue by being at 90 deg to the nearest wing. Being picky it just hides the eye.

Adonis Blue: Antonym

I like the way you too have tried to approach the photographing of blues in a different manner to avoid the “yawning blue” criticism. Butterfly’s too small and central in the frame with the distracting background though.

Large White: Polly

When you look at them as close up as this you see how remarkable they are – never just a cabbage white again. Great picture both technically and composition wise.

Speckled Wood & Comma : mouse

That’s unusual and I’m wondering why the speckled wood was being so reserved – normally they’ll attack anything. The overall background is to cluttered for the image to stand out though.

Comma: Steve W

Compositionally brilliant and good enough to win but with the wings half open this was always going to be a focusing challenge and that’s what loses it my vote.

Small Tortiseshell:Jellyang

The lightings is a little flat with detail lacking in the butterfly centre and the white balance is giving the image a blue hue. Could have been solved in editing though.

Speckled Wood:petergat

Ditto last months critique

Peacock: Markulous

Wow – what a butterfly, the iridescence in the eyes really hits you.

Shame the butterfly’s too close to the left hand edge and so unbalances the shot. When you opened this image on screen I’m betting you realised that you had an extra 20mm on the right hand side as the withered end of the leave could easily have been cropped without detracting from the whole. Still that’s what’s frustrating and challenging about the hobby.

Small Tortoiseshell: Charles Nicol

Another shot that shouts of late summer. Accomplished image with great focus and exposure – not easy to do with the highlights in corn.

Scarce Copper FISHiEE

Stunning shot – something to aspire to. Hate to say it but I bet it’ll be the butterfly that lets you down in the voting.

Adonis Blue: m galthea

Another one of those images that define the late summer for me. Brilliantly executed but I don’t think it has the impact composition wise to win.

Comma: Deano

This image should be titled proboscis.

Small Copper: birdy43

I like the head on idea of this shot and it works well with the flower. Shame the eye lacks that extra sharpness to really draw the eye in though looking at the depth of focus in the image I’m beginning to suspect this may be due to resizing for web.

Sardinia:web4160

Wonderful vibrant colours mirrored in the fringe detail of the butterfly. Your also drawn each in tern to the “eyes”. Nice one.

Small Tortiseshell: Sussex Kipper

Butterfly in great focus and the detail is brilliant but the small aperture needed has led to the distracting background as the sunlight reflects of the leaves.

Jackharr

Looks like you’ve over exposed this as the butterfly is burnt out – you need to put your exposure compensation down at least -2/3 stop to capture this. Looks like you’ve also used flash which hasn’t helped with the butterfly but has at least removed any shadows from the flower.

Common Blues: Keith Woonton

I feel that I should like this as it’s a very difficult image to capture and your focus is spot on with a great background. I’m assuming that this was as taken which is why the image is too one sided. Expanding the canvas and cloning the background in photoshop would make this image outstanding.

Small Copper: Sylvia Godfey

I like the way you’ve balanced composition with the lupin leaves in this picture and the cheeky, alert pose of the small copper.

Comma: Shirley Roulston

The headless Comma: nice angle for the wings but without any eye or antenna it looks a little strange.

Summer 2008 : ColinC

Nuff said. I'm pleased someone got the irony.

Comma : xmilehigh

Yes. Butterfly and fallen apple - an image which sums up autumn for me and the type I was hoping to get but neither RA or comma obliged. Beautiful. Gets my vote.


Last of the summer wine: Padfield

That’s a challenging exposure which you have got spot on. Not too keen on the composition with the butterfly looking out of the frame. I’m assuming you wanted to balance it with the bee but it doesn’t quite work though.


Holly Blue Larva : Pete Eeles

Pete you’re obviously being the champion of the larva image again with another beautiful image. You should get my vote just for finding it. But this is a great composition and I love the detail of the tiny hairs.

ColinC wrote:Sorry this is a bit late I've been away on business...

Par contre - I think you might have jumped the gun a bit!! Voting normally stays open until 20th of the month, I think!

Guy

ColinC wrote:Sorry this is a bit late I've been away on business

Obviously to somewhere, where time passes very quickly.

Gruditch

Yes, me too!
And I'm sure you are harder on yourself than others would be (I know I am!)
N

Well with the critique already done, you'll never get to know what I said about yours

Gwenhwyfar wrote:

Yes, me too!
And I'm sure you are harder on yourself than others would be (I know I am!)
N

Well with the critique already done, you'll never get to know what I said about yours

Bring it on! I can take it
N
BTW - What DID you say about your own

Bring it on! I can take it
N
BTW - What DID you say about your own

When the comp officially ends, I'll stick it up. I never had anything worth putting in the Sept Comp, so I sat it out for a change.

Am I the only one to think a certain entrant was making a subtle point with their offering?

Paul wrote:Am I the only one to think a certain entrant was making a subtle point with their offering?

Not that subtle, surely

N

Hmmmm

Thanks ColinC for your kind response to my Small Tortoiseshell picture. I spent ages chasing it from one part of the field to another until it settled down for its portrait.
The wheat straw makes a delightful setting for the colourful creature.

Best wishes

Charles