Taking A Rest
A bright butterfly lands on an oak leaf on an autumn day in Utah.
A bright butterfly lands on an oak leaf on an autumn day in Utah.
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Oct, 2016Views
536
Likes
Awards
Winner in Butterfly and Bokeh Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Genius
Outstanding Creativity
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
Relaxed
Top Ranks
Top 20 rank
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 2Top 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rank
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
My friend and I were hiking in a less-traveled and not as picturesque portion of Zion National Park in October of 2016.Time
I remember it being mid afternoon. My friend was getting impatient with me because we were supposed to be discovering the non-touristy sections of a gorgeous National Park, not stop every few minutes for me to take photos of rocks and leaves and shapes and patterns.Lighting
l remember the afternoon lighting being slightly harsh. My ISO was 100. We were hiking in a shallow, wide box canyon so I think that and the late autumn season helped subdue the lighting just a bit. The sun worked a little to my favor because darker lighting may have meant less detail and transparency in the butterfly and a muted background.Equipment
I had just joined ViewBug under the free-trial subscription to see what it was all about. I switched from my tiny point and shoot camera to an older 12 megapixel Cannon Rebel that I hadn't been very motivated to use until ViewBug gave me the inspiration I needed. I think I had my 55-250 Cannon telephoto lens on at the time, but it was only set on a 55 focal length. I was an amateur and newbie to dslr's and so I am pretty sure at that time I had it set on full program mode.Inspiration
Our hike wasn't showing me many photo opportunities. All of a sudden, a colorful butterfly seemed to float out of nowhere and settled on a large fading oak leaf. I. was so excited that the butterfly landed rather close to me. I quickly snapped a photo or two. Later I discovered that the leaves in the trees in the background created a lovely bokeh. It was a beginner's shot of chance.Editing
I may have adjusted the lighting and color just a bit on my laptop's simple photo processing program, but I don't remember if I had discovered that software feature yet.In my camera bag
I have come a long way since I first joined Viewbug. Other photographers have inspired me with their photos, articles and the comments left on people's photos, as well as the occasional photography-related chat with other VB members. About a year after joining and taking thousands of good, bad, and ugly photos, I had outgrown my old equipment. I upgraded to a Nikon D810. I usually have my 55-300mm Nikon telephoto with me. Lately, I have been photographing board, kite, and windsurfers at the ocean and I am loving my 150-600mm Tamron telephoto, aided by a sturdy tripod. I am currently experimenting with post-processing using Lightroom 6.Feedback
My capture was a lucky shot. I do, however, have advice for the beginning amateur photographer. Get out there and experiment, be creative and take lots of pictures. I have come a long way with upgraded equipment, more technical knowledge, and more experience, but one of my most-voted shots was when I first submitted photos to VB. I tend to learn the best by sometimes taking lots of not-so-great shots and then asking myself how I can do better and then apply those changes. I may not get so many "lucky shots" but I have much more confidence I am getting a decent" tougher to master" shot that I would have had no clue how to accomplish back in the beginning of my VB journey.
