MonarchButterfly
Jan, 2014Views
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![A small praying mantis [Ameles spec.] in the early morning. No image manipulation - retouching. by HenrikSpranz](https://cdnpt01.viewbug.com/media/mediafiles/2020/12/24/92124496_widepreview400.webp)
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in a butterfly sanctuary near the small coastal town of Munster in South Africa. The butterflies are housed in a large dome with indigenous plants that create a perfect habitat where the full life cycle of the butterflies can be seen up close in real life.Time
We did some sightseeing during our family summer vacation and this was our last stop for the day. It was late afternoon, just before closing time on 18 February 2013 at 4:37 pm.Lighting
Although it was late afternoon, there was still ample light available. It also helped that the dome was made of white shade-netting, which acted as a huge diffusor. This made it very possible to leave the tripod and do all the shooting with my camera in hand. The light was good enough to use a shutter speed of 1/1000 at f5.6 and ISO 200.Equipment
This shot was taken with a Sony Alpha 200, 18 - 70mm kit lens, no tripod or flash used.Inspiration
When you step into the dome where the butterflies are, you look around and you see these beautiful insects all around you. As always you are looking for the perfect shot. After I have taken quite a number of photos all around the dome, I saw this one hanging on the small white flowers and I new the balance on this photo will be great.Editing
I always try and do as little post-processing as possible. I use PhotoScape to do my processing with. In this case I first cropped the image for a perfect fit. Next I adjusted the lightness upwards a bit, to get some more detail in the dark areas and then just upped the saturation a bit for more vibrant colors.In my camera bag
Number one is my old faithful Sony a200 with a 18 - 70mm kit lens fitted. Next is a 50mm f1.7 prime Minolta lens, which is great for landscapes and portraits in low light conditions. You never know when it will be too dark to get the shot and therefore my Sigma flash. The last item is not in my camera bag, but in a bag of it's own - a Sigma 50 - 500mm lens. This lens wheighs a ton, but I just love it for wildlife photography.Feedback
Be patient and have your camera in multi-shot mode and the fastest shutter speed that you can get with the available light light conditions when shooting any wild creatures, whether it is insects or elephants. You never know when the pose will be at it's best and there is no second chance for a re-take.
