new moth books

[Ron Gatrelle]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tony Thomas" <mothman at nbnet.nb.ca>
Subject: new moth books

> This book could serve as a model for the next NA moth book, but I would
> prefer to see coloured photos of living moths rather than paintings.
>

It really is pointless this day and age for anyone to be producing leps
books with paintings.  This is like going to the store and buying a bushel
of plastic apples to eat.   No matter how "real" and anatomically accurate
the reproductions - they are not real apples.  Digital photography has also
advanced to the point where economical cameras now are superior to the same
price range for film cameras.   Computer editing... If someone wants to
paint a folio of whatever and sell it as such fine, but when I pay for a
butterfly or moth book I'd prefer to see - butterflies and moths, not
potentially flawed-by-human-eye reproductions.

When I look at the paintings in my Howe book on NA butterflies, I am always
awed by how talented the painter is and how _close_ to lifelike they are.
No one can diminish that effort or skill... but they are still not the real
thing and such a book (at that level of technicality) would always be
better served with real insect photographs.

Ron Gatrelle



 
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