Techreation

Monarch

SONY ILCE-7M3

settings

Aperture 63/10 ISO 160 Shutter 1/500 Focal Length 6000/10

upload_date

Dec, 2022

Views

336

Likes

+84

Awards

People's Choice in Insect Photo Challenge

People's Choice in insecte Photo Challenge

Peer Award

+26

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

Superb Composition

Outstanding Creativity

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

As part of the 2022 International Monarch Monitoring Blitz, this photo was taken in response to a public request to "Citizen Scientists" from Conserve Nebraska in cooperation with International Union for Conservation of Nature and was featured on the front page of the Omaha World-Herald Newspaper as part of an article to help bring awareness to the dramatically declining numbers of the Migrating Monarch Butterflies in Canada, United States and Mexico. Data collected by volunteers each year support trinational efforts to study and better understand the monarch butterfly’s range, breeding productivity, and migration timing in North America.

Time

When submitting monarch sighting data, it is important to accurately record the date, time and location of the butterflies, larva or eggs, this was taken at 18:26:50. For reporting purposes, the quality of the photo just has to be clear enough to differentiate the subject from similar species so many of the sightings I report are orange blurs, however, I am always excited to get a lucky shot like this.

Lighting

The late afternoon backlight illuminates this monarch beautifully to my eye and I like how the stem of the flower casts it's shadow through the wing.

Equipment

Chasing butterflies often has me on the run so I travel as light as I can with a Sony a7iii and a Sigma 150-600mm lens.

Inspiration

I have read about many endangered and extinct species throughout my life, most of these being animals I have never encountered in places far away but the Monarch is one of those I have witnessed the numbers decline so when I read about the opportunity to assist in the monitoring and help bring awareness to their status, I recognized the opportunity was very accessible to me as I already try to take a part of every day to find something beautiful to photograph and the monarchs are some of the most beautiful to me.

Editing

Because of the strong backlight, I raised the Whites in lightroom +44 which brightened the image and brought out the natural colors.

In my camera bag

You can't get the photo when your camera is in the bag. I keep my camera by the door usually with a long lens for wildlife. I will throw a wide lens in my pocket or on my belt if I think there will be an opportunity for Landscape or family photos. I need to get in the habit of having my lens and sensor cleaning supplies with me as there is nothing worse for me than adding some dehaze to an epic shot only to see a screen full of spots which were totally avoidable.

Feedback

Any good photo I take is luck, I can only try to increase the odds by increasing the number of photos.

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Monarch

Behind The Lens

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