Morpho Achilles Lima -- Two Stacks

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Macro_Cosmos
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Morpho Achilles Lima -- Two Stacks

Post by Macro_Cosmos »

This is becoming my favourite butterfly! The amount of detail and colours is staggering. I am new to spreading butterfly specimens, caused quite a lot of damage to the specimen when attempting to spread them.

The zoning colours are very pleasing even at an eye level of magnification. When magnified, it's even better!

First stack:
Image
https://flic.kr/p/2cRqGLu

Second:
Image
https://flic.kr/p/2bd3Gcy

Ulrik Tønnesen
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Post by Ulrik Tønnesen »

Amazing captures :shock:
I'm very interested in knowing how you lit the specimen, it looks wonderfully done. I might be able to get a cheap or maybe even free supply of butterfly wings soon, so I had like to make the best of it :D

Lou Jost
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Post by Lou Jost »

Those are very nicely done. I love butterfly wings too, especially Morpho. In your pictures,especially the second one, you can clearly see the difference between the wider, light blue cover scales and the narrower, dark blue ground scales. The relative sizes and arrangement of these scale types determines whether the Morpho species is shiny and reflective like a mirror, or a softer less directional pearly blue.

santiago
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Post by santiago »

Very nice, the second one is my favourite.
Santiago
Flickr

Lou Jost
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Post by Lou Jost »

Macro_cosmos, on your flickr page you mention that these are a blend of two exposures. They are very nicely blended. Did you take two separate stacks, one of each exposure, and then blend, or did you take two bracketed shots at each step, blend them, and then stack? Or did you take just one image at each step and develop the RAW file at two different brightnesses? Whatever you did, it worked well.

Lou Jost
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Post by Lou Jost »

Also I see on your flickr page that you were considering removing some of the transparent scales to show the blue scales, but you discarded the idea because it was too tedious. People who study morphos sometimes have removed those scales using transparent tape. Very fast and easy.

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