www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I have been chasing Holly Blues for a couple of weeks now to get a shot I am happy with but where I live near the coast its been a nightmare!!
Everything that can move in this wind is going for it constantly...
Today I found one trying to shelter from the wind and open its wings,these are the shots I got.Is it a male or female?
I was amazed how hairy these little butterflys are.

Personally I am pleased with these shots so I am now waiting for the Heath Fritillaries to appear .
All shots are handheld as I really cant believe you can use a tripod when these thangs move so often????
Any help appreciated with if this is a male/female
Steve

Not 100% sure, but it looks like a great condition female. Females have more black markings round outside of wings than males. Here is what this site says:

The male and female are distinguished by their uppersides, where the forewings of the female have broad black borders that are absent in the male.

Great pics btw. I have found it hard to get that closeup shots.

A first-brood female, Steve. The dark borders are absent in the male, and a lot thicker in the second brood!

Cheers,

- Pete

Thanks for the specific ID Pete..helps me loads.

Regards
Steve

And Dave too!

Lovely pics Steve - most impressive !
What lens are you using there?

regards
Martin
( http://www.mgnastro.org/wildlife.html )

Thanks Martin
I am using a Sigma 150 mm 2.8 lens,with a Nikon D70 and I only have the onboard flash at present.
I bought the lens last october when everything insect hit the sack!!
So I am now just practising loads.
This windy weather does not help and the thin plane of field can be a prob for me too.
I was told that the best apeture for this lens is F16 but even then its a fine line of focus.(check the dust line in focus below the cricket in the shot below)
I dont use a tripod as I cant see how a tripod and nature (Insect) shots can mix personally?I have tried but by the time to shoot they are in the next county!
I really like this lens but I have to really take as many shots as I can until I am happy with a few as at present it's trial and error for me..
I truly do like this lens but personnally I think it takes a bit of getting used to.
Hope it's ok but heres's two more shots(not butterfly but just as a lens sample) I am happy so far with with the Sigma 150mm.

Hope this helps
Steve

I like the middle picture, brilliant!

Yeh isn't it difficult working with such a narrow depth of field...

I do find my tripod handy for some shots, especially when a butterfly or group of butterflies keep coming back to the same spot.

Steve,
How far away from the targets were you for those shots?

I'm eyeing up the sigma 150mm for july

thanks
Martin
( http://www.mgnastro.org/wildlife.html )

Well the second and third general insect shots were full frame.
Also the Holly blue shots above were also full frame.
Hand held with no or just the built in flash (which does not really do much with the lenth of the sigma lens.)
Still starting out with this lens but I personally only like one or two from a whole bunch each photo shoot.
Most of the shots on my www site in my profile are taken with this lens,some with an added 1.4 converter added.
As with the speckled cricket nymph on my site(this was the size of an aphid.
Hope this helps
Regards
Steve