Beautiful Butterflies Photo Contest Winners
Thank you to all the photographers that shared their best photos showing butterflies in the Beautiful Butterflies Photo Contest with chances to win a Spinlight360 Extreme and more!
"Thanks to ViewBug for the opportunity to serve as a judge for the BeautifulButterflies contest. I really enjoyed looking through the finalists for this contest and it was hard to select the winner among some wonderful selections. My favorite photos included those that used shallow depth of field carefully, included interesting framing or compositional elements, and brought colors together in a pleasing way."
A special thanks to our friend and professional photographer Sarah Marino for her collaboration as a guest judge in this photo contest. Sarah Marino is a professional nature and landscape photographer, photography educator, and widely published writer. She strives to capture personally expressive photographs that convey the elegance, beauty, and awe-inspiring qualities of the landscapes she visits.Sarah, along with her husband and fellow landscape photographer Ron Coscorrosa, splits her time between Colorado and living a nomadic life in an Airstream trailer, an opportunity that allows for extensive travel, exploration, and extended stays in some of North America’s most inspiring natural places.
"The main thing that attracted me to this photograph is how the photographer used the leaves to create a frame for the butterfly, using shallow depth of field as a compositional element. I like how the shapes of the leaves repeat throughout the frame and come around the butterfly in an interesting way. I also like the soft colors, with the greens contrasting nicely with the brown tones of the butterfly. The butterfly is both framed by and stands out from its surroundings." - Sarah Marino
"In terms of composition, the three butterflies in this photo landed in just the right positions, with the two larger butterflies facing each other and the smaller butterfly adding an additional point of interest. The strong colors in their wings also contrast nicely with the softer colors throughout the rest of the frame. The use of shallow depth of field also works quite well to help make the butterflies and the primary plant stand out against the softer background elements." - Sarah Marino
"I like that this photo shows a different kind of butterfly behavior than the rest of the finalists. The butterfly diving into the flower shows a moment of whimsy but also helps remind the viewer of how butterflies sustain themselves - landing on flowers is an essential part of their lives. I also really like the colors throughout the frame, with the pinks, greens, and blues coming together very nicely." - Sarah Marino
"This photo is another example of how shallow depth of field can be used for composition, with the out of focus elements creating a really nice frame around the primary elements of the photograph. The soft colors, quiet light, and positioning of the butterfly all come together very nicely in this photo. The pop of purple in the flower is also a nice touch" - Sarah Marino
