How to photograph butterflies. Part 5: Butterfly gardens

Giant owl butterfly, Victoria Butterfly Garden, Victoria, BC

Butterfly gardens and conservatories are popular tourist attractions and can be found in many cities throughout North America.  In Canada there are four and at least another sixteen in the states.  Then there are the exhibits at zoos.  These are places you can go and walk amongst some of the largest and most beautiful Lepidoptera there are on the planet.  The price is reasonable and there are dozens of species and thousands of butterflies flitting about.  And the best part is that they are used to people - one may even land on you!

Some may scoff at the notion of shooting here because you are not in the wild and doing the groundwork required to capture photos of these marvellous creatures.  It's like shooting fish in a barrel, or in this case, butterflies in a room, but isn't that exactly the point?  It is a great place to practice your craft and to play with settings and compositions in real time.  I have been to several such places and am never disappointed.  They also often have other displays of living creatures you will never likely see in the wild.

You can also see and photograph the caterpillars, pupae, and possibly even the eggs.  See the image below.  They may be in the general area or they may be in a special display.  Mind you, there won't be just butterflies there; you will likely find some impressive moths as well.  One of the largest insects by wingspan is the Atlas moth; its caterpillar is something to behold.

Caterpillar and eggs photographed in Victoria.  Chrysalis shot in Palm Springs. 

Given the humid conditions you'll find in the gardens, you will want to keep your camera dry when visiting and prepare for condensation to set up on your equipment, especially the glass, if you come out of the cold.  It will take time for the equipment to equalize and for the condensation to evaporate, so you may want to wait a bit before shooting.  If you are concerned for your equipment afterwards, you can always place it in an air-tight container (Pelican case) with a few silicon packages.  That will dry out the equipment in short order.

I have visited several butterfly gardens and have used various kinds of equipment.  iPhone, macro lens and ring flash, long zoom, long prime, external flash, and compact camera are all examples.  The truth is that you can get good photos with a variety of cameras and accessories, but in general I would suggest a decent camera with a long lens and external flash.  This will likely give you the best chance of acquiring good photos.  If your long lens won't let you focus as closely as you like, consider using an extension tube (or a few of them) to allow more magnification.  They have less of an impressive effect on long focal lengths, but I think you will find the difference will be significant.  Just make sure the extension tubes are full auto tubes and not manual ones.

Even if you don't get any great photos, which I think unlikely, you will have a great time.  Bring family, friends, and prepare for some amazing encounters.  It will be a memorable experience.

Scarlet Mormon butterfly from Victoria Butterfly World, 2025.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com


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