Stuck together blues DSC00181
Can't decide exactly which member of the Blue Butterfly group these butterflies belong to. Maybe Adonis and maybe Common Blue. Taken on my copious lavender...
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Can't decide exactly which member of the Blue Butterfly group these butterflies belong to. Maybe Adonis and maybe Common Blue. Taken on my copious lavender in the garden.
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Jul, 2020Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award 21
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
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Impressed
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo last summer during Lock-down in my garden. We have lots of lavender and I am always looking at it and watching the many bees and butterflies that visit.Time
Unusually this was taken at the height of the day when I suddenly saw these two butterflies very much engaged in their activity and not the least bit bothered by me or my camera. This was so fortunate as it allowed me to take many shots and make sure I had them in focus. Keeping butterflies in focus is so hard when they are flitting about but these two as you can see were very settled.Lighting
It was bright and sunny which meant that I could have a fast shutter speed and low ISO and "knock out" the background. It may have been nicer if the background colour had been better. The bright light meant that the spots and iridescent marking on the butterflies show up.Equipment
This shot had to be taken very quickly as I did not know how long the butterflies would remain in this position so it was handheld with my Sony RX10 at equivalent 600mm. I did not use flash. I don't tend to use flash when shooting wildlife as I do like natural light.Inspiration
I simply love butterflies and since starting to try to photograph them I have learnt much more about my local area and which species are around at what time of the year. It has inspired me to improve my photography and I am now photographing animals, landscapes, seascapes and more.Editing
I use Luminar4 at the moment but this photo did not require much post processing. I usually punch the colour up slightly and use the small detail slider to enhance the detail. I have learnt much more about post processing since I took this photograph.In my camera bag
I took this shot on my Sony RX10 but I have now traded up to a Nikon Z6 with a Z 24mm-70mm F2.8 lens and other Nikon lenses that I use with a Z to F adapter. I now use Kase filters and have a Peak Design camera bag and Tripod. The former are very easy to change and really stay on the camera and the later are nice and light for an old girl like me wandering about the English countryside for hours.Feedback
Patience is essential and I think really understanding which plants butterflies and other insects and birds like. The best time of the day is dawn and onward! Butterflies can be having a rest towards the evening or are just spent and so this can be a good time for capturing them. The other thing I do is to move back and forth ever so slightly to get that focus just right, at least once!
