Fritillary butterfly on thistle flower


I love this shot!  It is rare to get so many things coming together the right way the moment a shutter is released.  As a nature photographer, capturing such an image is the reward of much time and effort.  It is the culmination of years of experience, obtaining the right equipment, knowing how to use it, and being at the right place at the right time.  

Photographing butterflies has many challenging aspects to it.  They tend to be easily startled; getting close enough to one to render a decent image requires a degree of luck, patience, and skill.  There is the direction that light comes from.  Using a macro flash helps but paying attention to the sun's position is an important component.  There is the position of the butterfly.  I find being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body often results in the best shots.  The problem is they are always moving and are only in position for the merest of moments.  Then there is wing position, extension of proboscis, having a decent flower that is neither too big nor too small, and an attractive, well-lit background.   

I photographed this at Two-jack Lake in Banff, Alberta this summer.  My macro images are often taken with a macro lens and flash; in this case, I was using my 500mm wildlife lens. and shooting it at its absolute minimum range.  The f/10 aperture allowed for enough depth of field to get the butterfly and flower all in focus while still allowing a nicely blurred background.  And, at 1/500th of a second, the fast shutter speed prevented any blur from subject motion from becoming an issue.  

I approached the subject with the sun behind me to take advantage of the good lighting and limited shadow presence.  Moving slowly so as not to startle the insect, I approached with my eye to my camera's viewfinder and finger on the shutter release locking focus in with each step.  I took many photos of the scene and concluded the series when I felt I had gotten everything I could.  We departed, the butterfly and I, and went our separate ways.  We both achieved our goals; I got a nice photo and it a nice meal.  

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

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