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Gatekeeper


Gatekeeper
Photo Information
Copyright: Andy Brook (AndyB) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1391 W: 32 N: 1350] (3982)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-07-26
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon EOS 350D, Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM, Hoya 52mm HMC Skylight 1B
Exposure: f/11, 1/100 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2005-07-28 2:56
Viewed: 1546
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 60
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Gatekeeper also known as Hedge Brown butterfly

(Pyronia tithonus)



As its English names suggest, the Gatekeeper is often encountered where clumps of flowers grow in gateways and along hedgerows and field edges. It is often seen together with the Meadow Brown and Ringlet, from which it is easily distinguished when basking or nectaring with open wings.

The colour and patterning of the wings are very variable and about a dozen aberrations have been named. Favourite nectar sources include Wild Marjoram, Common Fleabane, Ragworts, and Bramble.

It is widespread in southern Britain and its range has extended northwards in recent years. Its range is far more localized in southern Ireland.


European/world range.

It occurs widely across Europe, to Asia Minor and the Caucasus, and also occurs locally in Morocco. It is declining in several European countries.


Foodplants
Various grasses are used, with a preference for fine grasses such as bents (Agrostis spp.), fescues (Festuca spp.), and meadow-grasses (Poa spp.). Common Couch (Elytrigia repens) is also used. The full range of other species used is not known.

Unusual fact.

Did you know that butterflies taste with their feet?


This one was nectaring alongside a country lane on another cloudy overcast day.
Photo was cropped a little and sharpened USM.

Settings....
Aperture prioty
Exposure Time: 1/100 sec
Exposure compensation: -0.7 step
F-Stop: f/11.0
ISO Speed Ratings: 200
Focal Length: 60/1 mm
Metering Mode: Partial

phlr, carper, TAZ, chiliu, red45, marhowie, electra, coasties, dew77, Comandante, wallhalla15, PDP, liquidsunshine, kokonike, gerhardt, chouette, annagrace, metcher, peter_stoeckl, Christopher_PL has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To electra: feetAndyB 1 07-28 08:06
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Critiques [Translate]

very nice one Andy,
very good shot, good details, fantastic colours, good pov and a nice dof, very good job,
gr. jaap

  • Great 
  • sway Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 303 W: 85 N: 308] (1224)
  • [2005-07-28 3:41]
  • [2]

Fantastic shot.
Great composition.
details wonderful.
Perfect DOF.
:)

  • Great 
  • chiliu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1494 W: 0 N: 1175] (6494)
  • [2005-07-28 4:41]
  • [2]

Hi Andy,
Excellent macro!
Very clear and detailed, very nice colour, and great background.
TFS!

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2005-07-28 5:15]
  • [2]

Simply and beautifull Andy. Warm colours, perfect quality, good composition and note. Great work.

Superbe ce papillon les ailes déployées !!
Bravo !
Nico.

This is an excellent B-fly capture Andy! Not a nit..Everthing looks about perfect!! Very well done.

  • Great 
  • japie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
  • [2005-07-28 7:04]
  • [2]

This is superb Andy, The sharpness, detail and exposure is textbook.

Very well done and thanks for posting

Hi Andy,
ínteresting Note, how do they taste with the feet? Would be funny if we can do this. :-)To the picture, it is beautiful and wonderful sharp. I like it.

Hello Andy

Excellent POV and OOF BG. The wing pattern and colours are lovely. Nice light. Sharpness and detail are spot on. Very nice to view. Thanks.

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4774 W: 294 N: 4020] (13209)
  • [2005-07-28 7:58]

Hello Andy!
Wonderful macro.Clear details,sharpness,colors and composition are excellent.TFS...:-)

Amazing shot Andy!
This butterfly is just beautiful - colours, wings and hairy head :-)

Hello Andy!
Lovely capture.Colors,contrast,details,sharpness and composition are perfect.Thanks for sharing.

Andy, this is a excellent Picture. Great colours, sharpness excellent, a very nice composite and excellent note. Well done.

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 2821 W: 344 N: 3779] (11769)
  • [2005-07-28 15:44]
  • [2]

Hello Andy, great shot of this Gatekeeper. I love the contrast and colours, the focus is spot on and it's a very good composition - in this case I like the central composition - I think it works with the butterfly off diagonal. I have no nits for this shot, very well done.

  • Great 
  • Graal Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer [C: 755 W: 31 N: 20] (5032)
  • [2005-07-28 16:03]
  • [2]

Very good shot, Andy. Butterfly who I not meet in Poland. Good colours and DOF. Well done.
Rgs, Aleksander

  • Great 
  • livios Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2156 W: 322 N: 4258] (16906)
  • [2005-07-28 16:22]
  • [2]

Andy, another beauty by you.

Great colors, pov and composition; I like sharpness, dof and blurred bg too.

Congratulations.

Brilliant shot Andy,
Superb POV, very sharp details and nicely exposed. The colours stand out very well. DOF is spot on. Excellent composition and a good note.
Thanks for posting

  • Great 
  • halki Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 249 W: 8 N: 105] (469)
  • [2005-07-28 18:08]
  • [2]

Hello Andy!
Excellent details,colour and clear...
Beautiful butterfly I liked that:)
Thanks for posting...

Excellent shot Andy!
Details are amazing, colours and light perfect. Classic POV works really well here and the composition is superb.
I like it very much.
WELL DONE!

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2005-07-29 3:32]
  • [2]

What a pleasant shot for this superb butterfly ! Composition, colors, BG, DOF, details and sharpness are very good ! Thanks for sharing Andy.

This one is very nice and has lovely colors. Great DOF and sharpness. I belive the colors would be shown even better if you adjusted the exposure +1/3. I dared a WS to try and convey my point. This is very nice Andy.

Wow! Wonderful capture! Beautiful colors and composition. Excellent sharpness and details, great DOF and POV. TFS

Wow, this is such an attractive animal. The focus is unbelieveably crisp and sharp. Well done and TFS.

Jan-Hendrik

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1490 W: 72 N: 1427] (4744)
  • [2005-08-08 14:25]

Wow, this is a wonderful butterfly shot Andy! Colors are stunning, details are razorsharp and the composition is fantastic. The blurred BG is stunning. Did you do anything to it in pp-ing or is it purely natural? Well done on this beautiful picture. TFS!

Regards,
Pieter

Butterflies taste with their feet? LOL, you learn something new every day!!

Wonderful POV, perfect sharpness and definition. TFS!

Alli

  • Great 
  • phlr Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1241 W: 129 N: 881] (2814)
  • [2005-11-09 16:55]

Such a PERFECT shot!
Very beautiful butterfly!
Amaising details and sharpness!
5 photo!
Also common in Portugal.

Very nice post.
Lately I am see a lot of people in TN that tend to make lights and colurs very spectacular but quite artificial, I know it is a question of taste.
In this one, they are strong and saturated but keep very well the natural feelling. This is what I like to do when postprocessing.
Thanks for this photo and for your interest, yes I am well, hope you are ok too, Andy :)
Best regards, Felipe.

Hi, Andy.
Nice capture. Exposure and sharpness are excellent here as well as DOF. Nice composition and colors.

A portrait of the Gatekeeper in quintessential concentration. Beautiful rich colours. Sharp details presented in a perfect and tender way. Excellent. Thank you!
Peter

Very good picture. All the details are clear and sharp, good smooths background.

Chris

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