Lesser grass blue
Spotted this one in Nam Cheong park 3 days into 2017.
Spotted this one in Nam Cheong park 3 days into 2017.
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Jan, 2017Views
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Awards
Winner in Butterfly on pretty plant or flower Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
All Star
Superb Composition
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Behind The Lens
Location
I was in Nam Cheong Park, taking pictures of bees on hibiscus flowers when I spotted a few Lesser grass blue butterflies.Time
The shot was taken at 14:28 in the afternoon on the 3rd of January 2017.Lighting
It was a bright and sunny day and I was shooting with the sun from behind. Since it was still early in the afternoon, I used the camera's built in flash to cut out unwanted shadows.Equipment
This was a handheld shot, where I got really low down. The flower was only centimetres from the ground, so I was lying down flat and propped my elbows on the ground to get the camera as steady as possible. I used a Nikon D3300 and Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di macro lens to capture the image.Inspiration
I've been interested in insects every since I was a little boy. I used to catch all sorts of bugs to keep and observe at home. When I was in second grade in primary school I borrowed a high school student's microscope to examine ants and leaves. Photography is something I first became interested in when I got a camera on my 10th birthday. That was back in the days of film cameras. I started digital photography in 2015 and mainly shoot macro, which lets one into an amazing world! Immersing oneself in the insect world is almost like going on an overseas trip. There are new and incredible things to see all the time!Editing
I always shoot RAW, which means that post processing is required. There are numerous good post-processing software options, but since I use Nikon equipment, I post process with Capture NX 2. There are hardly any images that I don't crop and this is one's no exception. After cropping, I increased the contrast by 20%, enhanced the colour by 25%, changed the colour profile to Nikon Bruce RGB, adjusted the colour balance by increasing blue 10%, and darkened the background, using colour control point. Finally, I sharpened the image by 50% (using "unsharp mask").In my camera bag
Usually, as in the case when I took this picture, I just walk around with my Tamron 90mm macro lens. I upgraded my camera to a Nikon D7100 last week, but prior to that I always used a Nikon D3300. When I go birding, I carry a heavy duty Benro tripod and a Nikon 300mm f/4 AF-S (non VR) lens with a 1.4 tele-convertor. If I go hiking, I'd stick the ultra light and rather old (dating back to film days) 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6 AF lens on my camera and also carry the light and handy Nikon 70-300mm f/3.5-5.6 AF zoom. I use UV filters for lens protection.Feedback
When shooting macro, switch to manual focus (as I did in capturing this image), use aperture priority mode and stop down to at least f/11. The picture of the butterfly was taken at f/22. When shooting a subject that is significantly lighter than the background, underexpose for better results. This image was captured at -1.7 EV.
