A choice of the title sums up pretty well the basic idea of this image, the first of a mini-series on this theme.
These strange things are flying insects, dragonflies, butterflies, or in this case, calopterix - all presented in a dark and mysterious universe, where graphic quality is the main point of interest. This is reflected in the choice of low-key, black-and-white, high contrast, simple yet refined image that gives pride of place to lines and curves.
The search for the subjects makes me walk for a long time in a natural reserve near my home. Finding a good composition and the insects landing exactly where I want them to land takes a lot of time, luck and patience. There are however many disappointing trips !
The technical part is quite simple; the image was taken with a zoom lens, 70/200 F4 L and developed in Lightroom as Black and White. The final image is very close to Raw; because I studied the bokeh before shooting, I set the exposure compensation to -0.7. I made a very precise framing which means no resizing. To get the final effect, only basic sliders have been moved: Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites and Blacks, Clarity, Dehaze.
