Glasswinged Butterfly (1 of 2) - Copy
Found in Boquete, Panama
Found in Boquete, Panama
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Jul, 2016Views
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Bassariscus
September 04, 2018
Hi, I have the challenge Glasswinged Butterflies, I invite you to enter. Regards.
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on the pipeline trail in Boquete, Panama. The Glass-winged butterfly is found here but rare outside of this part of Central America. They are hard to spot due to their transparent wing structure, which keeps them safe from the many predators found in the rain-forests.Time
I love the colors and the bokeh from the lens on this picture. I had hiked about 3 to 4 miles up the pipeline trail outside of Boquete with a guide enjoying the many beautiful birds, flowers, and butterflies. We were on our way back down the mountain when I spotted this butterfly feeding on the flower nectar. The butterfly was quite a distance away from the trail, but I was able to zoom in on it from where I was before it took flight and was gone in an instant. The picture was taken at about 10:55 am local time, just when the sun was starting to pierce the rainforest canopy from above.Lighting
Since the rainforest is so dense, and the trail follows a river stream up between two steep ridges alongside a dormant volcano, there is little to no direct sunlight that penetrates the forest floor. I was just lucky to get this shot with the sunlight on both the flower and the butterfly.Equipment
I used a Sony A7rII (ILCE-7RM2) camera, with a Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L EF II (USM) lens using the Metabones adapter. No flash or tripod. It was shot at ISO of 250, 1/125 sec., f/2.8, 59mm.Inspiration
I wanted to experience and see the many wonderful animals and plants that make up the rainforest in Panama first hand. I wanted to see and find unique things that I had never seen before and Boquete is famous for. I ended up spending almost two months all over Panama and have to say that Boquete was my favorite part of the trip. I ended up spending almost a week here and I am sure I will return again soon.Editing
I used lightroom to post-process this image. The good news is that I did not have to do much for this photo other than some cropping due to the distance to subject being so great, but the lighting and color saturation was good as is. I really lucked out on the sunlight and the position of the butterfly on the flower.In my camera bag
I always pack two cameras while shooting above water. My primary camera is the Sony A7RII with the Canon 24-70 mm lens for outdoor and landscape. I also use a Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 MACRO G OSS lens that I use for mostly macro work, although is is a very nice portrait lens. The second camera I take with me everywhere is a Sony DSC-H70 pocket camera. This camera comes in handy due to the 16.1 MP capability with 10x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom G Lens. It's great for capturing fast distant subjects.Feedback
If looking for unique flora, fauna, birds, and animals, you have to go to a rainforest. Both Costa Rica and Panama offer great opportunities to visit these unique environments. Because the forests are so dense, make sure you go towards mid-day so the sun has a chance to penetrate the canopy and brighten up the forest floor. Take a good zoom lens, because most subjects will be at a distance from where you shot them. I really could have used a 200 or 300 mm zoom lens while visiting Panama.
