Close-up Pose
I was amazed how the flowers and background complimented this Queen Butterfly. It was as if he was posing for me. But not for too long. He is beautiful....
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I was amazed how the flowers and background complimented this Queen Butterfly. It was as if he was posing for me. But not for too long. He is beautiful.
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May, 2014Views
470
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Awards
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Jaw Dropping
Superior Skill
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 10 rankSame photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in Naples Fl.Time
At 3pmLighting
it was a beautiful warm day in March. I am pretty sure it was cloudy Since butterflies rest longer on cloudy days. Beautiful filtered light.Equipment
nikon D40 with a fill flash. used a 55-200 lens at 200mm. ISO 400. 1/250 sec @ f 5.6 for blurred background.Inspiration
i love butterflies and this was perfect. The butterfly matched the flower and the background was a perfect compliment.Editing
i almost always post process. But this was minimal. Just increasing the saturation and tweeking the usual in Lightroom Develop. and I always start with my raw file. I also reversed the direction so he was facing to the left since we read left to right. This image is cropped. The original had the flower at a diagonal which I liked. But I liked the straightened cropped version better.In my camera bag
Usually I carry my Nikon D7100 with my 18-200 lens. I usually carry my D40 when I want to keep it light on vacation, which this was. But I think now I should use my 55-200 more.Feedback
Always shoot butterflies on a cloudy day. They are not as active...even if you are indoors they sense the clouds I was told. I use my pop up flash at -.7 so it is not obvious. That helps freeze the action since you are hand holding. One of the few times I don't use a tripod. Don't try to get too close...crop later. And I use 200 telephoto with max f stop, 5.6 to blur background. Keep shooting and you may get one great one. Pay attention to the details. Watch for the tattered butterfly unless you are making a statement. It's easy to see the beauty and overlook the torn wing. And really watch your backgrounds. Change your shooting angle to get a better background. Again watch the details.
