Swallow Tail Butterfly
Taken in the garden at the back or house in France
Taken in the garden at the back or house in France
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Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in the garden at the back of my home in south west France. I love photographing birds,butterflies and insects and this part of France is perfect for it. I only got into photography when we came to live here, almost 9 years ago now, and I am very much learning as I go.Time
I love this photo, I remember that the buddleia at the back of the house seemed to be alive with butterflies, humming bird and bee hawk moths that afternoon. I just had to get my camera and start clicking away, it was a perfect late afternoon in August when some of the intense heat had gone, perfect!Lighting
My home is built on a lake and is surrounded by a river in the beautiful forested area of the Haute Vienne in the Limousin. That afternoon the sun was starting to hide behind the trees but just as I took this is it appeared again through a gap in the trees, highlighting the shrub and the butterfly perfectly. All natural thankfully.Equipment
I took this shot with my favourite camera; Canon Eos Digital Rebel XSi with my new toy at the time, a Canon Zoom lens EF 100- 400mm, no tripod, flash or anything else.Inspiration
The beauty of the day, the clarity of the light, the flowers and, of course the butterflies. This butterfly, the Swallowtail is quite rare in my native UK but more plentiful here so, having the opportunity to get some good shots of it was unmissable and then when I saw the results I was delighted.Editing
The only thing I had to do to this photo was a little cropping, it didn't need anything else.In my camera bag
When I pack my bag if I'm going away from home, visiting some of the other lovely areas of France, then I take my Canon Eos Rebel my all time favourite camera. To go along with this I always take the BIG lens, Canon Zoom EF 100-400mm (being able to get fantastic shots without having to get too close is amazing), my Sigma DG70-300mm and the Canon EFS 18-55mm, these cover just about all my bases. I don't generally use a tripod so the only other essentials are spare battery and charger.Feedback
I think that, like lots of other types of photography, patience is a must!! Waiting around for the bird/butterfly to arrive and then waiting for it to get into a place where you can get a few shots is the biggest thing, can't be done in a hurry. Then, when the time is right, keep clicking all the time hoping that maybe just one of these shots is going to be 'the one'. I love Kingfishers but, if you've ever seen one and the speed at which they move and their ability to disappear just when you're going to shoot, I thought I'd never get a photo. Then one day one arrived on the terrace around our house, the performance it took for me to, get my camera, line up the shot and then click the shutter without scaring off the bird, was really funny but wow was it worth it!! That's what it takes, patience and lots of it haha.
