Getting great shots

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:33 pm

I have only really taken pics of butterflies and moths indoors, (a few outdoors) and need to know a few things:

I have a meadow near me with various species: silver Y, peacock, small tortoiseshell, small copper, meadow brown, cinnabar moth, white ermine, winter moth, clouded yellows, large and small whites, red admirals and more. Loads of flowers in summer and just wanted to know a few things.

How would I go about getting great shots of butterflies in wild in this area especially? Would I position my camera on a certian spot and wait or put it beside a thistle? I can activate my camera from a distance via a controller.

Any suggestions before they appear in late April onwards would be good.

Post by **Padfield** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 4:22 pm

I'm hardly an expert on photography, but I'll throw in a few tips to get things going anyway!

Firstly, since a great shot depends a lot on composition, I feel a remote snap would be rather inflexible. I've certainly never done it, but then again, I can't.

Most butterflies are very approachable if you have sufficient experience and a certain kind of intuition that comes with practice. I get my best shots at about 5cm from the butterfly (because my present camera has no zoom) and this only presents problems with a very few species. The tricks are: always be aware of where your shadow is - if it crosses the butterfly all may be lost; always move slowly and smoothly, even with your feet - your approach should resemble an action replay; don't forget that vegetation you are treading on transmits movement to the vegetation the butterfly is sitting on so be aware where you are putting your feet; don't let other equipment hanging round your neck (like binoculars) suddenly swing into a new position; don't forget that many butterflies are sensitive to sound - some will even fly at the noise of the autofocus (woodland browns, Lopinga achine, which fly near me, are exasperating for this - they fly as soon as I start depressing the shutter and the autofocus whirs into action!).

Horizontal shots, with sky or trees or even buildings in the background, often make for more dramatic pictures than shooting straight down onto the butterfly.

Finally, it is good to be aware that in chasing a butterfly for the perfect shot you may be trampling vegetation and/or other stages or insects. In my garden, I make a point of always following the same paths through the grass to minimise the damage I do to the whole community.

I'm sure better photographers than me will come up with far more sophisticated advice, but I'm equally sure you will quickly learn what works best for you!

Good luck,

Guy

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 11:43 pm

Thanks, just been out tonight trying to get a pic of a moth with a lamp. That was difficult. But I did get the shot. I know a place at the bottom of the meadow I mentioned that is full of meadow browns in summer. Should be easy to get a shot there as sun is blocked out in places by bushes and one or two trees.

I like macro mode close-ups with Manual mode for better shots and I like taking videos too. I will keep a record of every butterfly I encounter this year to see how the meadow is doing.

markatbath · Post by **markatbath** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:58 am

hi
Just my opinion but out of all the more common species I find the meadow brown one of the most difficult butterflies to photograph does anyone else agree?
mark

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 1:12 pm

Orange Tip and Brimstone for me - absolutel nightmares to get decent shots of (for me anyway)

eccles · Post by **eccles** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 2:50 pm

Meadow browns love to nectar on knapweed, so catch them feeding off that and they're a doddle. I managed to catch a male brimstone this year on a day that was only just warm enough for it to fly, so when it rested it was very easy to approach. I agree with orange tips being difficult.

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 4:13 pm

Saw a Peacock butterfly and it was hard to get a shot. I waited until it settled down, got closer and it flew away! My shadow was not even on it.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 4:25 pm

It's perseverance really. Most Butterflies are difficult to get close to. I've been trying to get DECENT shots of all the regular British stuff. I've been at it for four years and still have no shots at all of Essex Skipper & Mountain Ringlet and only poor shots of Purple Hairstreak. All that's been the result of many thousands of miles travelled and many work days lost - I am self employed but am considering sacking myself if it carries on

To make it even more complicated I'm trying to do the same with Dragonflies & Damselflies and I've completed the nine reptiles which were much easier than Butterflies!!!

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Sat Mar 31, 2007 4:34 pm

Well, so far I have more indoor shots of moths and butterflies. I have a few videos (easier to recird than photo). Last year I had not got a camera, but found it easy to get close to Clouded Yellow and small and large whites, should be alright this year. Hey, If I don't get a shot I can get a video instead.

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:09 pm

O.K. it was hard, but I managed to get a pic of peacock butterfly. At first it was fighting with a small tortoishell, but it rested and I could only get sideways due to my shadow was nearly on top of it.

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:01 pm

Excellent shot but could I request that people who post images try and keep the exif information intact, that way we can see all the details such as f-stop, focal length etc. It's very helpful.

Dave McCormick · Post by **Dave McCormick** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 2:13 pm

The information on that pic I took is:

Manual mode

96dpi
F-Stop: f/4.5
Focal Length: 39mm
Exposure: 1/1000
ISO: ISO-65
0 Step
Max Aperture: 2.971
Metering: Multi Spot
No Flash
Sharpness: Hard

hope that helps.