Painted Lady Feeding
This specimen was photographed while feeding with Monarch butterflies as that group prepared for its annual migration south out of New Hampshire...
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This specimen was photographed while feeding with Monarch butterflies as that group prepared for its annual migration south out of New Hampshire
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Sep, 2019Views
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Awards
Hidden Gem Award
2020 Choice Award
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my front yard, just off the driveway in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.Time
While following a flock of Monarch butterflies on September 5, 2019, I found this painted lady butterfly within the group. The time was 12:14 p.m.Lighting
The lighting for this image was pure sunlight coming in from high left.Equipment
This was a hand held shot with at Fujifilm X-T2; Fuji XF100-400mm zoom lens at 386mm; exposure f9, 1/2000, ISO 500.Inspiration
My wife had been outside tending her gardens and called to me that the Monarch butterflies were swarming. I grabbed my camera with my longest lens attached and headed to the stone wall near the road where the sedum was growing. The painted lady butterfly was a unique creature in the midst of the rest of the butterflies and had placed itself well in the sunlight.Editing
Minimal adjustments in Lightroom--exposure, contrast, whites, blacks, clarity, dehire, and vibrance--were needed to process this image. Some cropping was needed to eliminate the plants as a competitor for attention in the photo.In my camera bag
I dislike changing lens outdoors under dusty and windy conditions. Consequently, I have more than one Fujifilm X-T2 body. My walk-about lens is the XF 27mm prime. It works extremely well for street photography as the short barrel doesn't get people excited the way long lenses do. My in between lens are the XF 16-55mm and the XF 50-140mm zooms.Feedback
Much discussion flows regarding prime versus zoom lenses. Primes have their place, but for wildlife I prefer zoom lenses. Not always can one walk closer or back up enough to get a good capture. Butterflies flitter away when approached closer than 10 feet. Using the Fiji XF 100-400mm lens provides for a good stand-off distance and the five-stop stabilization, coupled with an elevated ISO, negates the need for a tripod. I have come to use a variation of the old Sweet 16 Rule. I leave my cameras set to f16, ISO 1000, and 1/1000th on the shutter. Depending upon the cloud layer, or its absence, a quick shift to f9 or f11 will capture most images that can be easily adjusted in post processing. Noise at ISO 1000 in the Fujifilm X-T2 is very near to its minimum.
