CRITTERS SUNDAY - THE LAST PAINTED LADY OF SUMMER

Never mind the last one, we have hardly had any butterflies this year. Our lovely budliea bushes, butterfly bush to you Americans out there, in Ramsey have been lacking in beautiful butterflies. The nature reserve is usually covered in them but not this summer. Now summer is dying and autumn is birthing and the butterflies are fading from view.

This was another shot lying on the floor along the inlet of Ramsey Harbour. With no macro or even portrait lens to hand had to make do with the telescopic lens. They are a very useful lens for softening the edges of the frame of an image. That lens is so big I'm surprised he didn't take flight. Butterflies are not really my thing to shoot, but I like this as it's not in it's usual setting, foliage. His delicate softness against the harsh grey stone just adds contrast. Subjects shot out of their natural environment I tend to like shooting, and for selling purposes work better.

Never, ever overdo the saturation, brightness or contrast on these shots. I left this natural. The butterfly already has enough natural colour, the background is already grey enough. You lose fine detail when you pump up contrast, they become flat and washed out if too bright and artificial with extra rich hues. So many potentially sellable images are overdone in photoshop. They may look great as a virtual image, but when printed they are have harsh colours and loose definition. Mother nature knows best, and you can capture what she offers you with practise.


I'm going to be mega busy this week so I may be around less and you may get just snapshots on the hoof. Now is the time I start concentrating on the Christmas market. So goodbye to greeting card butterflies and hello to British robins holly and the arty farty shot.

For more wonderful camera critters see MISTY DAWN Camera critters and be sure to leave a nice comment for Misty' s own oustanding posts.

ABC WEDNESDAY - P IS FOR PAINTED LADY

I was going to have a different "P" image, then I spotted the first butterfly of the year, a Painted Lady. Unfortunately I didn't have the macro lens with me, so it was another lie on the ground point and shoot jobs.

Now I'm no butterfly expert, so youprhaps you are able to help me out here.? For that reason you won't be getting all the latin names. Take up far too much blog space. I do know the Painted Lady is pretty widespread and found on every continent bar Antartica. I know they vary slightly from continent to continent and there are even sub species. I have read that the American Painted Lady is often refered to as a "Cosmopolitan." Is that true or is it another one of those urban myths that gets lost in translation? Like I said, not an expert in this area, so you tell me on this one.

I was also hoping to show you George the pelican that often escapes from the wildlife park and flies here to Ramsey, but he hasn't shown up for a while.

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