Not common any more!

Critiques [Translate]

•  
• eqshannon (19909)
• [2008-06-03 8:49]

Well this is one of your more beautiful images...I love it a lot...

I have not noticed much change...folks talk about environmental changes but I am too young in geologic and natural times....yet having said that...and having read history, my guess is that man/woman, have been a bigger change than the environmental changes...in fact directly through overpopulation, pollution and simple expansion, they have taken away large parts of the Palouse, my trees in the wilderness and my privacy...it is a lengthy thing of which I am very passionate, but for me to have 7 children (only Jane as well) and talk about over population seem ludicrous:-) My answer would be that mans intervention and expansion has changed much the natural world...and even I am guilty of some of which I complain!
bob

•  
• Amadeo (2959)
• [2008-06-03 9:07]

Hola Ulla, muy bonita composición, con muy buena profundidad de campo, nitida con buen detalle y muy bien iluminada. Un saludo

•  
• jaycee (15039)
• [2008-06-03 9:12]
• [+]

Hi Ulla,

Oh, only one beautiful Common Blue - not three? You have spoiled us. Absolutely gorgeous - I love the head face pose with the wonderful wing positions. Beautiful colors, marvelous details, and lovely composition. The only change in our weather was a colder than normal winter. June is what June always is - hot (been triple digits all week) and bone dry. July will be hotter and we won't be cool again until sometime in October. If there's any change I'll let you know.

Jane

•  
• juanit (676)
• [2008-06-03 9:24]

Hello Ulla

This is absolutely beautiful.Wonderful colour,detail and sharpness.The wings are almost translucent.
Like the composition.

Best wishes

Anita

•  
• loot (9137)
• [2008-06-03 9:31]
• [3] [+]

Hi Ulla

I had a bit of an ordeal at the dentist today so forgive me if I might be a bit abrupt. This is a great shot of the uncommon Common Blue. Amazing sharpness, dazzling colours, complimentary BG, with spot-on DOF and exposure.

In my opinion the climatic changes and the repercussions are all over. Just read some of Bayram's (boreocypriensis) and Mehmet's (zulfu) reports on their latest field trip for example. The other night I was listening to a regular nature program on the radio where the listeners dial in and talk to the presenter, a Dr. Verdoorn, about various aspects concerning nature. That night the topic dealt with the dwindling numbers or the disappearing animal life all over South Africa. Numerous callers phoned and shared their experiences about one or the other birds or insects or whatever they observed that they do not notice anymore or at least very few in numbers. I have seen the same especially along our waterways, rivers, dams, and even at the ocean. The sad part is that there are so many politicians, big businesses, and even scientists who still do not want to acknowledge this "crisis" planet earth are already experiencing. It is not something that will hit us tomorrow, it is here and it is just going to get uglier. I don't want to sound like a pessimist, but mankind's track record is not really an advertisement to shower us with positive faith in the hope that we all can stand together to conquer or remedy the situation to the benefit of all. The money powers, the politicians (those rotten ones with their personal agendas, self-enrichment, and chaos as ultimate goal), and the war mongers all want it for themselves and they cannot care a hoot about the earths well being.

Anyway, well done with the posting and TFS.
Regards
Loot

•  
• vanderschelden (26640)
• [2008-06-03 10:29]

Hello Ulla,
Well done.
Good composition. I like the colours as well. Nicely done OOF BG.
TFS
Annick

•  
• nglen (21102)
• [2008-06-03 10:34]

Hi Ulla. I do like the blue of the commmom Butterfly. such a clean crisp looking colour which you have captured so well. very good detail in the opwn wings. a nice pose on the old flower. well done TFS , good note too.
Nick..

•  
• CeltickRanger (7016)
• [2008-06-03 10:59]

hello Ulla

i am realy sorry because in the thumnail i tought (tinked) that this was
a wonderful blue flower, but i had doubt that maybe is a butterfly...
in it is not a flower but is a butterfly, i am not familiar neither
with the flowers neither with butterflys,

excellent image of this beautiful blue butterfly, with fine POV
and vertical framing, wonderful soft luminosity, excellent sharpness and details,

TFS

Asbed

•  
• martic (1245)
• [2008-06-03 11:42]

Hi Ulla,
Very nice shot of this common blue, good composition, DOF and POV
thanks
Jean-Michel

•  
• parthasarathi (1121)
• [2008-06-03 11:46]

Wonderful colour,detail and sharpness.

•  
• CatherineD (2446)
• [2008-06-03 12:15]

Hi Ulla,
Lovely shot, with a very nice composition and sharpness. The light on the blue wings is very well captured.
In Belgium, the spring is quite normal, with strong showers and sunny days. But the winters are milder than before. It has already some consequence on the vegetation and insects: some more southern species are seen.
Best regards,
Catherine

•  
• Jamesp (14380)
• [2008-06-03 13:27]

Hi Ulla

This is an excellent shot in terms of the composition and the wonderful detail.

TFS

JAmes

•  
• aes_thor (1570)
• [2008-06-03 13:35]

Hi Ulla,
Beautifull image with excellent composition, Perfect colours and details. Well done!
cheers
Adrian

•  
• ramthakur (25133)
• [2008-06-03 17:29]
• [+]

First of all, I must congratulate you on this brilliant shot of a Common Blue, Ulla. It is rarely that we see this butterfly with its blue wings fully open.
This colour fills me with ecstasy.
Regarding the change in weather patterns in my country, especially in view of the recent concerns for global warming and all that, I feel rattled by it, especially after my return from the Middle East last year. I reached Delhi at the peak of the monsoon. Excited at the prospect of seeing abundant rains, I rejoiced in my return home.
But to my great alarm and disappointment, it did not rain here at all for days and an occasional shower turned out to be a pittance. I went to my native place in the hills in August and was apprehensive of road blockades due to heavy rains. Nothing of that sort. The hillsides were barren. No greenery. The summer haze obliterated the horizons. I wished we had a fan in our bedroom.
This year, on the contrary, we had plenty rains in May and the weather turns overcast every second or third day. The summer heat is subdued and last night while I took a shower before going to bed, the water was so cold I shivered. And this is June, mind you!
Though I keep on blaming fussy tending of gardens in the current craze in this part of the country to match up with the West in tidiness for the lack of life systems in them, I have a lurking fear at the back of my mind that there is more to it than that. Even in the wilderness of the strip of forest along the river Yamuna where I was a couple of days ago, I saw very little of thriving eco systems. Finding those bugs and other insects on a milkweed plant was like laying my hands on a gold mine. You have been to this country, Ulla, so you understand what I mean.
I see very little of sparrows and mynahs around me in the urban set-up now. Where are they gone?
I could go on and on . . . but since I am testing your patience now, thanks for sharing your wonderful butterfly picture and have a great day.
Ram

•  
• NinaM (4619)
• [2008-06-03 17:55]

Ulla, I'm a fan of your butterflies pictures, they look just like pretty flowers, it is amazing that you use such an original pov. The butterfly is lovely, the blue of the wings is so nice and delicate, you captured it so well. Thank you!

Francine

•  
• crs (1665)
• [2008-06-03 20:23]

Hello Ulla,

What a beautiful photo with an interesting composition. Your photo is more than a close-up of a butterfly and closer to art photographi. I like very much the way you placed the butterfly farr from center leaving on the rest of the photo that dried stem. The vivid colors of the butterfly and the sharp details of the insect catch the view of the people wtching the photo.

Thank you for sharing,
Cristian

•  
• rcrick (3736)
• [2008-06-03 20:54]

Hi Ulla,

This is a wonderful shot of the Common Blue, the colours are simply stunning, and the detail is just amazing, excellent framing and composition;

As for the changes in our environment 5 years ago when we arrived here in Queensland we had quite a few Green Tree Frogs in our back garden, wonderful little creatures I only whish I had photographed them more then I did, because I haven’t seen any now for the last three years due to our ongoing drought conditions.

Cheers Rick :)

•  
• Jacobo (389)
• [2008-06-03 23:30]

Increible detalle sin perder el colorido natural. Magnífico encuadre.
Saludos
Jacobo

•  
• boreocypriensis (12768)
• [2008-06-04 0:35]

Hi Ulla superb macro capture of this blue with great composition my friend. All are perfect. Many thanks for sharing.
Cheers,

bayram

•  
• Silvio2006 (24022)
• [2008-06-04 0:37]

Hi Ulla, in Italy a lot of rain this year:)
elegant butterfly with wonderful color, splendid sharpness and fine details, I like a lot, ciao Silvio

•  
• eng55 (1127)
• [2008-06-04 1:47]

Hi Ulla,
Beautiful capture of this common blue.Colors,clear details,BG and composition are perfect.
Thanks for posting.

•  
• lousat (10087)
• [2008-06-04 2:22]

Hi Ulla,not easy to show so perfectly the incredibles colors of the wings of this nice little butterfly,your work is very of 1st class,excellent note too,my best compliments,have a nice day,Luciano

•  
• sandpiper2 (11481)
• [2008-06-04 5:16]

Hi Ulla

Brilliant shot, everything in focus and sharp.
Great work

Chris

•  
• anel (8407)
• [2008-06-04 5:43]

hello Ulla,
Very interesting composition with this high-perched Blue, dominating the situation..
perfect sharpness and excellent pose of the butterfly.
Having now rain for days, weeks, I don't see a lot of butterflies either. It seems more and more that when there is a Low or High pressure situation, they just don't move any more and stand still. I sometomes think that the wind-circulation system doesn't work well any more.
Hope that it will change soon in your and in my country.
Anne

•  
• PeterZ (8319)
• [2008-06-04 7:09]

Hello Ulla,
What an amazing photo! Except the brilliant composition, I see perfect sharpness and details. The contrasting colours against the OOF BG are marvelous. Very, very beautiful.
Regards,
Peter

•  
• fartash (10183)
• [2008-06-04 7:38]

Dear Ulla
Superb shot of this tiny Common Blue :O)
Great focusing,exposure and POV.Welldone my friend.

Regards
Fartash

•  
• matatur (2663)
• [2008-06-04 9:18]

The most beautiful image I've seen in recent years Ulla, very simple, perfectly focused and exposed against an all revealing, pleasantly OOF greenish-brownish BG. Thank you indeed for sharing this fine composition with us, my friend.
Best regards,
Mehmet

•  
• joey (19923)
• [2008-06-04 10:27]

The DOF on that G7 is unbelievable!
The aperture is f/4.8 yet even the very tip of each wing is in-focus while the BG is completely blurred. My 400D and the Sigma 180mm would need an aperture of something like f/16 to do the same and even then the BG would be too distracting!
The G7 truly is a wonder camera!
Very good composition placing the butterfly on one of the "thirds".
Pin-sharp with a massive heap of detail.
Beautiful vibrent and natural colours.
Excellent BG.
One of the best Blue butterfly shots I've ever seen!!

Very well done!

Joe

•  
• maurydv (4290)
• [2008-06-04 11:21]

Stupenda macro, eccellente composizione, straordinarie nitidezza e definzione dei dettagli, meravigliosi i colori e BG. Grazie e complimenti. Ciao Maurizio

•  
• Tobias__Ortmann (661)
• [2008-06-04 12:31]

Wow this is a great macro capture very good sharpness and details
Great focus as well
I really like it very well done
Toba

•  
• Janice (17490)
• [2008-06-04 15:10]

Oh how pretty this shot of the Common Blue is Ulla. Very good focus and sharpness, and the colours and details stand out wonderfully,
TFS
JAnice

•  
• rousettus (8336)
• [2008-06-04 15:14]

Hello Ulla,
this is really great macro-shot of beautiful butturfly, which I see it commonly nowadays. Splendid colors, especially blue parts look very beautiful. POV and composition great as like focus. Interesting and informative notes. Thanks for sharing. best wishes
Ahmet

•  
• goldyrs (4706)
• [2008-06-04 18:42]

I find this to be a lovely shot, Ulla...The delicate details of this butterfly are in display perfectly.Talking about climate change, you know the northern parts of India are sweltering in heat from the end of April right through till August (at almost 45-49 degree celcius), and this is an awefully dry spell.This year, we've seen so much rain in May, that fruit growers say the mango crop has been ruined due to rain at the time of its ripening...
I see deer charging around me as if its already mating season...
And yes, we're to blame as well, as Bob says..
Goldy

•  
• arfer (0)
• [2008-06-04 22:09]

Hello Ulla

Just marking the post for now

Rob

•  
• gannu (10812)
• [2008-06-05 5:11]

Hello Ulla, Very nice color of this blue jay and that too in a good pov. Nice composition and well presented.Ganesh

•  
• xTauruSx (343)
• [2008-06-05 13:36]

Woww. this is also splendid shot of a beautifully coloured butterfly. TFS. Regards,
Deniz

•  
• Adanac (14008)
• [2008-06-08 15:19]

Hello Ulla,
Simply elegant, with marvelous details and brilliant colors. What a wonderful image Ulla. In my part of Canada, we are having milder winters and wetter springs than I can remember as a boy. Thanks for this beautiful posting Ulla.
Rick
PS Sorry I was so long returning with my comment.

•  
• JORAPAVI (10077)
• [2008-06-17 0:57]

Hola Ulla,
Preciosa foto de magnífica composición, excelente luz y bonitos colores, saludos
José Ramón

•  
• cicindela (6980)
• [2008-06-26 4:27]

Hello Ulla!
Once again it's me :)
Very nice capture of this Lycaenidae species. It was presented with very nice technique as for me.
According to your question on effect of the changing climate, I have to say thay in central Poland there are bad things (lower level of ground waters during summer period) and good things - eg. some termophilous insects which were rare or absent now are common (eg. some Scolia species), new elements are comming too (eg. one Sympetrum species known as Pontocaspian element).
Anyway, it is always bad to hear that some population of insects (or any other creatures) reducing their numbers...
Best regards and please try to be optimistic! :>
Radomir

•  
• zulfu (585)
• [2008-06-28 19:33]

Very beautiful close-up capture of this common blue Ulla TFS.
Regards,
Mehmet

•  
• Seabird (1095)
• [2008-08-08 1:30]

Hi, Ulla,

an excellent capture of a very beautiful Common Blue!! She looks like a lady in lovely blue dress slowing walking down the 'stairs' of the tree branch. I like the colours, details and composition of this photo a lot. thanks for sharing!

chrs,
Man Yee