Got this idea and went to the Zoo to the butterfly enclosure. This is the result.
TAKING THE IMAGE: Shot this with a Sigma 105mm 2.8 macro on a monopod with some fill in flash with a lightshpere. Happy with the detail.
EDIT: Just basic stuff including levels, curves, adjustment layers, burning and dodging, USM, some selective noise redution to smoothe out the background, and some USM. Resise, some other minor adjstments and border at 12 pixels.
PREDICTION: Ummm, not gonna say...high sixes???
POST: OK, obviously this didn't make sense to many as a dichotomy. I called it pretty ugly because butterflies are pretty and ugly at the same time. I mean, have you looked at their heads? I overestimated my prediction big time. I still think it was clever...
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Also, oversharpened : super-saturated. A Monarch has its own natural beauty. In a macro shot like this, the eyes are a must.
Try using an edge mask when you sharpen for a more natural-looking crispness.
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