# Shooting from Vienna's Butterfly House (Looking for honest critiques!)



## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 5, 2015)

Wanted to share the best photos I took during my visit at Vienna's Butterfly House. (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

Please keep in mind that I'm still a total beginner, I'm still learning and trying to improve, so helpful feedback is greatly appreciated. 

_Camera + lens used:_ Sony SLT-A58 + DT 3.5-5.6/18-55 SAM II, 0.25m/0.82ft, ⌀55




 
*Emerald Swallowtail *(_Papilio palinurus_)



 
*Forest Giant Owl* (_Caligo eurilochus_)



 
*Malachite *(_Siproeta stelenes_)



 
*Common Mormon* (_Papilio polytes_)



 
*Atlas Moth* (_Attacus atlas_)


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## Braineack (Aug 5, 2015)

#4 is great.  good framing, good background, and it really stands out against the leaf.


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## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 5, 2015)

Braineack said:


> #4 is great.  good framing, good background, and it really stands out against the leaf.


Thank you very much, the Common Mormon was a wonderful model.


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## waday (Aug 5, 2015)

Agree that #4 is a winner!


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## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 5, 2015)

waday said:


> Agree that #4 is a winner!


Thank you so much!


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## FITBMX (Aug 5, 2015)

#4 is the best photo of the set as far as framing and lighting. But that Atlas Moth is beautiful!!!
I would love to go to a butterfly house some day! 

*Before I forget, Welcome to TPF!!!*


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## FITBMX (Aug 5, 2015)

I love your Dr. Seuss quote!


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## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 6, 2015)

FITBMX said:


> I love your Dr. Seuss quote!


Thank you, and thanks so much for the comments on my pics as well!  If you ever come to visit Austria, Vienna's butterfly house is a must-see, as well as the Schönbrunn Zoo and the Aqua Terra Zoo!


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## Rob5589 (Aug 6, 2015)

#4 for me too. But, I dig the Atlas moth. Just wish it didn't have the lower part of the wings blurred. Good stuff none the less.


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## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 6, 2015)

Rob5589 said:


> #4 for me too. But, I dig the Atlas moth. Just wish it didn't have the lower part of the wings blurred. Good stuff none the less.


Thanks a bunch, and yeah, I haven't quite figured out how to get rid of that effect yet. I have a couple of other (unedited) photos of the same moth, but they're all blurry in some parts. I'd post them for you to look at if they weren't so large, and I don't have enough time to edit them right now because need to get to bed soon since I have work tomorrow. In any case, I still need to read into how my cam actually works, haha! (I'll keep looking for tips here on the forum.)


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## FITBMX (Aug 8, 2015)

Fiji-Fujii said:


> FITBMX said:
> 
> 
> > I love your Dr. Seuss quote!
> ...



I love going to Zoos! I don't care how small the zoo is, it's always worth seeing!


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## robbins.photo (Aug 8, 2015)

> I love going to Zoos! I don't care how small the zoo is, it's always worth seeing!


Not me.  Wouldn't be caught dead at one.  Lol

Sent from my 306SH using Tapatalk


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## WesternGuy (Aug 8, 2015)

Some very nice shots here.  A few suggestions - it will help reviewers if you number your images when you post more than one or 2.  That way, I don't have to go flipping back and forth to make sure I have the right image to comment on.

First one.  Nice and sharp.  My only comment is that the background is a bit distracting.  Maybe a larger aperture to give you a shallower depth of field (DOF) would help.

Second/Third ones.  The problem here is that you have cropped off the tops of their wings and good composition would suggest that this is not something you want to do.

Fourth one.  This is a winner as others have pointed out.  The only problem is that the subject is centered in the frame.  Moving it to the lower thirds position would have been a better composition.  If you do not know about the rule of thirds for positioning subjects in the frame, then you might want to check it out.

Last one.  You can get all the wings in focus, if you remember to keep the plane of the sensor in your camera parallel to the plane of the wings.  If they are at an angle, then you risk having a part of the wings out of focus as has happened here.

I hope this helps.

WesternGuy


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## FITBMX (Aug 9, 2015)

robbins.photo said:


> Not me.  Wouldn't be caught dead at one.  Lol
> 
> Sent from my 306SH using Tapatalk



Kansas has several free zoos that  are worth stopping if you are going past anyway!


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## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 9, 2015)

WesternGuy said:


> Some very nice shots here.  A few suggestions - it will help reviewers if you number your images when you post more than one or 2.  That way, I don't have to go flipping back and forth to make sure I have the right image to comment on.
> 
> First one.  Nice and sharp.  My only comment is that the background is a bit distracting.  Maybe a larger aperture to give you a shallower depth of field (DOF) would help.
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for the critique and helpful tips!  I'll try to keep that in mind next time. I've been told to look into composition before, and I'm working on it!


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## WesternGuy (Aug 10, 2015)

Here's a site that will help you with some of that "work" - Photography Composition Articles Library .

WesternGuy


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## Fiji-Fujii (Aug 12, 2015)

WesternGuy said:


> Here's a site that will help you with some of that "work" - Photography Composition Articles Library .
> 
> WesternGuy


Oh, wow! Thanks so much for linking me that!  That looks really helpful, I'm gonna work through it asap!


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## WesternGuy (Aug 12, 2015)

You are very welcome.  One thing to keep in mind is that composition is not the only aspect of an image.  I try to have images that will invoke some sort of emotion in my viewers, otherwise why take the picture, except maybe for documentation.  Raising emotion in the viewer is really the hard part of photography, as it is not something that every photographer knows how to do, not do they understand how to achieve it - it is a developed/learned skill.

Part of this, I believe, is learning to previsualize your image.  You see something - flower, butterfly, landscape, etc. and ask yourself "where is the 'story' here?" and if you think that there is one, then the next question is "how do I tell it with my photography?".  As well, there is also the aspect of previsualization when you carry around an idea in your head about an image that you want to make and then watch for opportunities to make it.  This usually means you have to figure out the "how" of making it as well.  I always like to remember the quote from Ansel Adams - _You don't take a photograph, you make it.  _I try to remember this when I am out there shooting with my camera.

WesternGuy


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## LilyBee (Aug 13, 2015)

great shots, my only comment; in some pics the wings of the butterfly are cut off now you can do this on purpose but in some pics here I think its a shame.


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