Congratulations to the winners!
I couldn't enter this month so I thought I'd contribute with a little critique... I hope you don't mind.
It's August and so I was looking for pictures that sum up high summer. For that reason, padfield was the clear winner for me. There were so many entries that could have been taken in April, May, June or July... I'd have loved to have seen more frolicking silver-spotted skippers, some more brown hairstreak, a scotch argus perhaps? Anyway, forgive me if I've been rude, it's quite difficult remaining enthusiastic when there are so many pictures to comment on!
Petergat
I desperately want to like this more. It's such a good idea. In fact, I do really like it, I changed my mind, again. Great pic... you've challenged the norm. I've little doubt that some of the stalwarts on here will hate it... and thats partly why I love it. But hang on, it just doesn't look right... aaaargh. But seriously, this is one of those pics that you have to look at again and again, and so it's because of the straight, centre of the frame composition, the unnatural lighting and the awkward flower angle (that should all be reasons to dismiss it) I really like it.
Geniculata
Very nice. Perhaps a little underexposed and it lacks the X-factor. I'm not sure of the straight framing of the butterfly, but at least you didn't centre it!
Paul Dyer
This is one of those between-y compositions. It's half-way between head on and side on, it's half way between diagonal and straight, etc... not a competition entry for me. Sorry!
Runningbk
Seen it before! Beautiful butterfly, mind. With the more common species (and even with some rarer ones) you really need to produce something new for it to stand out. (See petergat's speckled wood). Sorry!
Pauline
More like it, a common species in a 1-in-1000000 pose. What a shame it's over-exposed.
Polly
I nearly dismissed this as I dismissed runningbk's picture, but actually this is lovely. Gorgeous greens, a cheeky little proboscis and a good example of how a square crop makes centring the subject acceptable (sometimes). Nice one.
Eris
Very nice and well executed. Good shot. If it wasn't for the coveniently place small copper though, I'd be ranting on about 'centre of the frame' again.
Jackharr
Fantastic detail Jack, an accomplished study of the red Admiral underwing... compositions a bit boring though! I'd have gone in even tighter and cropped off some of the butterfly and flower to really focus on those beautiful markings.
birdy43
See comments for runningbk.
roundwood123
See comments for runningbk.
marcinklysewicz
Magnificent. You're clearly an accomplished photographer. The butterfly is positioned awkwardly in the frame otherwise I'm sure you'd have done better.
Darrel
See comments for runningbk.
Denise
A little over-sharpened and perhaps the background isn't smooth enough, but otherwise, well done, good shot.
Paul Kipling
Paul... you know better than to stick the bleeding thing in the middle of the frame!! Nice capture though; by backlighting you've really showed off that gorgeous yellow. Too much DOF - you're a GP, I'm sure you can justify a few £ and get an SLR!
Trev Sawyer
Nice effort. The lighting is very drab though and the flower is far too distracting. I think skippers are extremely difficult to photograph well because their proportions are so unconventional.
Rogerdodge
Excellent. The one nit I have is that the background is more interestingly lit than the subject... and I'm sick of common blues roosting
Gruditch
A common blue roosting - sigh... Excellently executed Gary as usual and extra marks for going in close and trying something different. Too different for these voters though.
ColinC
Another common blue roosting - yawn... Really cool composition, though, with the perch emerging from the green gloom. Technicaly sound, too.
Pete Eeles
Pete, I like it, and I like that you've tried to shake the foundations of this increasingly tedious competition by doing something different. More larvae pictures in the competition everyone, please.
Padfield
My favourite. Listen everyone - this pic sums up August, the title of the competition. 'Nuff said.
Charles Nicol
Too close! This pic would have worked better if you'd pulled back a bit and showed off the camouflage, making the viewer search for the butterfly. Otherwise, it's just a bog-standard record shot.
Paul Brock
Technically good, compositionally bad. This is an entry in a scientific journal, not a photo competition.
eccles
See comments for runningbk.
Deano
See comments for runningbk. I'm going to say it... "middle of the frame"
Gwenhwyfar
ANOTHER common blue roosting. This one is captured perfectly though. Nice shot.
mouse
See comments for runningbk.
Antonym
Good work! Well captured and a good balance of colours. I maintain though that it is difficult to get pleasing shots of skippers. I'd perhaps have placed the butterfly more into one of the corners.
Susie
Very nice. Nearly a cracker, but in achieving such a pleasing background, you've sacrificed top to bottom sharpness in the subject. I think you could have taken this at f/8.0 or f/11 and used a bit of flash to give you the extra speed and illuminate the shaded head.
Keith Woonton
Blue sky... I'd forgotten what that looked like! Sorry Keith, but you've centred the subject too much. I'd have left room in the frame on the left. Technically it's a bit too soft and the flowerhead is burnt out. In harsh light like this it pays to use flash to fill in and even out the levels and reduce shadow.
Shirley Roulston
I like the light through the wing... but that's about it sorry. I'd like to see a smoother background, more space above the butterfly, a little more sharpness and no burnt out flowers. At least there's a couple more months to get a better shot of Painted Lady!
David Tipping
Technically neat, compositionally untidy. Not much to say on this one... pesky grass stems and dead flower heads... yuk. At least you didn't cheat and photoshop them out!! Oh, and it's in the middle of the frame... I've seen you take much better pics, DT.
Ian Pratt
Very Good, Ian. Love the colours, the lighting and it's technically well-executed... however, you've fallen for "in-the-centre-of-the-frame-itis"... and I'd have rotated it a bit too. Easy to say, I know, I've chased Wall up and down the local railway all summer and have failed to even get a snap.
Markulous
I love the straight lines, they really work to show off the commas irregular outline. I voted for this because the composition is very simple and neat and the colours are great. The pic is quite noisy and you may have over-sharpened, but I'll take composition and colour over such small technical nits.
Dave McCormick
Well done and thank you Dave for trying something original and different. Really nice and sharp in the narrow DOF. What is the background and how did you illuminate thie subject? It looks artificial for some reason... I'd be interested to know what you did.
Nick B
Love it. Spectacular colours, gorgeous detail in the perch... really, really well composed. However, it's not sharp. Such a shame or I might have bought this from you for my front room.
ACZ
Not in focus and not sharp; not really an inspiring or original composition either. This is akin to the pictures I took when I first set out... delighted just to capture the butterfly, but not a competition entry. Sorry, no eyes in the frame, no prize in the frame.
web4160
A perfectly exposed DGF. However, I think the picture looks unbalanced. You need to decide whether the butterfly is going to be straight in the frame, or at a diagonal; you've settled for something in-between. You've also put the butterfly in the centre of the frame; I'd like to see more of the space it's looking into. A nice pic, though not a comp winner for me.
