Swallowtail
Jun, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in our flower garden in Northern Michigan.Time
I usually feed the birds and squirrels around 10am every morning. On this particular morning, I noticed there were butterflies hanging out in our flower garden. I went back inside, set up my camera with my 70-300 zoom lens (I didn't own a macro lens at the time), set up a chair in the middle of the garden and waited patiently for the butterflies to return. It didn't take long! I took quite a few images, but this was my favorite! I loved the way the flower shows through the opening between its wings.Lighting
Late morning light, not sunny, but nice.Equipment
Nikon D70, 70-300mm lens, hand held, no flash.Inspiration
I love trying to capture the beauty of butterflies. The number of butterflies visiting our garden has dwindled the past couple of years, especially the Monarchs. This year I planted a butterfly/bee garden, hoping to attract more beauties! I call my garden my outdoor studio! It will be ready for visitors next summer!!Editing
I use Lightroom for most of my post-processing, which includes cropping, contrast adjustments, sharpening.In my camera bag
I now have a Sony A77ii with a Tamron 17-50mm 2.8 lens for wide angle (my favorite lens), a 55-200mm Sony lens.I also have a Nikon D300 with lots of different lenses... my favorite is my 105mm 2.8 macro and 50mm 1.8.Feedback
You really don't need a macro lens if you position yourself correctly and make sure your focus is spot on. I recommend using a tripod (even though I didn't, lol), and be patient. I probably sat still for an hour waiting for the butterfly to land where I wanted it to.
