Blue Morpho on Lens
Aug, 2012Views
1666
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
Legendary Award
Top Shot Award
Spring Selection Award
Featured
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Exceptional Contrast
Jaw Dropping
Superior Skill
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TAHammer
September 06, 2012
Great Capture, so glad the butterfly could help out on a focus on your other shot. Congratulations on your feature
PRO+
LoreenSwann
September 06, 2012
Fantastic background!! It completely matches the red tones in the small circle of the moth wing!
The clarity in this is amazing!! Shoot w/ zoom or macro?
Congrats on being featured!! This totally deserves it!
The clarity in this is amazing!! Shoot w/ zoom or macro?
Congrats on being featured!! This totally deserves it!
laemclaughlin
September 06, 2012
thank you all for the wonderful comments. the featured photo thing was a total surprise, for sure :)
Platinum
Ultimate
Coomanator
September 07, 2012
This is an amazing shot, love that it is on the lens. Congratulations on the feature.
PRO+
PRO+
Platinum
edazz
September 18, 2012
Congrats! Outstanding Capture, nice contrast, composition, DOF enhancement, POV, detail, clarity, edit, well done! Awarded for Jaw Dropping and favorite!
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If you like photographing cars, trucks or motorcycles, you are invited to join the
"Motor Heads" group...http://www.viewbug.com/photo-communities/motor-heads
If you like photographing boats, boating or beaches, you are invited to join the "Boats and Beaches" group....
http://www.viewbug.com/project/boats-and-beaches.
Click on "community" tab, "projects " tab, and paste the group name in the search box.
I would be honored if you would visit my View Bug gallery and my personal website at www.photo-pixart.com
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
The annual "Butterfly Jungle" at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in San Diego, California.Time
Approximately noon, in April 2009. It was springtime.Lighting
It was springtime and the sun was overhead, but I was inside an enclosure (similar to a greenhouse). The window panes of the enclosure were somewhat translucent. Any sunlight that came through the window panes was dappled. And the surrounding plants in the enclosure created additional shading.Equipment
A few years ago, I was transitioning from shooting pure film to digital. I didn't want a traditional point-and-shoot camera, but I wasn't yet ready to purchase a regular DSLR. I ended up purchasing the Kodak Z712 IS Zoom digital camera (about 7mp, I think), which was sort of the "bridge" between a point-and-shoot and a DSLR. I had the freedom to shoot manually (or with a bunch of presets), but didn't have to worry about carrying and changing out a bunch of lenses. That's the camera I used for this image. Purely handheld, no filter, no tripod, no flash. I no longer use this camera and have since upgraded to a full-frame DSLR!Inspiration
Short and sweet - I adore butterflies. They are simple, little creatures. Their beauty and grace just speak to me on a level that I cannot even explain. Sometimes butterflies are quirky and funny, even if they don't intend to be. This was one of those silly butterfly moments that just needed to be captured on (digital) film. Plus the butterfly was staring dead straight at me - how could I not capture that?Editing
Not a whole lot of post-processing. I reduced some of the glare off the lens (where the butterfly is standing), adjusted the red background a little, the tone of the overall image, and sharpened it a bit. I only wish I had brightened it up a bit more. Now that I look at it, nearly 4 and a half years later, it seems a little dull, darker than I'd like it to be.In my camera bag
I'm pretty sure I carry the entire Canon store in my camera bag - way more stuff than I need, but I always like to be prepared for any time of shoot. My main camera body is the Canon 1Ds Mark II, and I have the Canon Rebel G film SLR as a backup. My go-to lens is the Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM (with lens hood). It's a very versatile lens and I use it the most. I also have the EF 28-90mm f/4-5.6, EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM, EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye, and the Lensbaby Control Freak for Canon Mount. Other items in my bag include 4 batteries for the digital camera, and 2 sets of batteries for the film camera; Canon PowerShot SX210 IS and battery charger; two 16gb CF cards; one 32gb SD card; film of varying speeds; all-in-one memory card reader; Sekonic Flashmate L-308S light meter; remotes for both cameras; off-camera shoe cord; LED flash light; cleaning cloth; air blower; misc. filters; plastic zipper bags and trash bags; pens and Sharpies; manuals for my digital camera and light meter; and of course, my business cards... because you never know when an opportunity might pop up.Feedback
First and foremost, with this type of image, you have to stay in the moment. Remove any unnecessary distractions, or ignore them if you can't get rid of them. Always be prepared - have your camera ready and general settings in place (ISO, shutter speed, aperture). Butterflies are unpredictable - you never know if they're going to take off, land somewhere, or just stay in one place. Know how to make those subtle changes in your camera settings right as the action takes place. If you hesitate or stumble, you'll miss the shot. Also, pay attention to composition. That's where I failed a little with this shot - I was so caught up in the moment that I forgot one of the most basic tenets of photography. The shot has a pretty good leading line (from the camera lens), the depth of field is decent, and the butterfly is off-center a bit. However, the top of the butterfly's wings are cut off and the wings are closed. If I had taken just a quick second to recompose the shot, it would've been a much more dramatic and compelling image.
