~ Rising Sun ~
A gossamer-winged butterfly at sunrise.
Winner of the Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition (OPOTY) 2015 - category 'small world'.
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A gossamer-winged butterfly at sunrise.
Winner of the Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition (OPOTY) 2015 - category 'small world'.
Please follow me on https:--facebook.com-fotomat
Read less
Winner of the Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition (OPOTY) 2015 - category 'small world'.
Please follow me on https:--facebook.com-fotomat
Read less
Aug, 2015Views
2827
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in Soft Photo Contest
Featured
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Genius
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
Top 10 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo not far from Vienna in a meadow placed on a hill where you have a clear view in direction of the rising sun in the morning.Time
I shoot 95% of my macros in the early morning and sometimes i get up before 4am in summer to be on location long enough before sunrise. This way I can choose my location, discover butterflies and other insects and can prepare for the sunrise.Lighting
I bet everyone can see the light source in this photo :). It's the very early rising sun because later the lights is far too harsh to get a properly exposed photo.Equipment
For this photo I've used a Canon 5d Mk iii together with a Canon 135/2 L and an extension tube. I've used a tripod, I've shot with manual focusing and using the live view for it. No flash or reflector was used.Inspiration
Shooting a butterfly in front of the slight of the rising sun and getting it completely inside the sun flare in the bokeh was a thing I wanted to do for some time. And I've tried it several times over weeks, because you only a very limited timeframe until the sunlight gets too harsh and getting the butterfly completely sharp with such a wide open aperture - I've used f/2.2 in this shot to get the sun flare in the bokeh big - is extremely difficult. Finally I did it and was very happy.Editing
There's not that much post processing in this shot as it was used in major nature competitions as well where post processing is very limited. I've developed the RAW in Ligthroom for some optimization in the histogram. In Photoshop I've used tonal correction and a little dodge & burn technique to brighten the butterfly.In my camera bag
Canon 5d Mkiii, Canon 16-35/4 L IS, Canon 50/1.4, Canon 135/2 L, Canon 180/3.5 L macro, Canon 400/2.8 L IS USM, bean bag, Sirui and Berlebach tripods, reflectors and diffusors, gradient filters, polarization filterFeedback
If you have an idea for a photo don't give up too early if it doesn't work the first time. I've tried this over weeks on several days until I had the perfect conditions, a butterfly at the right spot and the perfect light - and I didn't fail to get a sharp shot open wide this time.
