www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I have only been taking photographs of butterflies for a month as an aid to identification. Today I was watching Ringlets, maybe a hundred or more, when what I take to be a Silver washed Fritillary, still carrying its chrysalis case flew past me. About five minutes later I managed to get this photograph.
Where do I go from here, its a perfect butterfly in a perfect position, it will never happen again to me, I've used up my beginners luck, it's Meadow Browns and the Whites for me from now on. and then an underview

I'm a beginner too but with a bit of patience it's surprising how good your photos can be even with a bog standard digital with a zoom. Of course, it's useless for airborne hairstreaks but if you DO get lucky and encounter one of these nearer ground level, they're pretty user friendly from a photography point of view. Hairstreaks are amongst the most docile of butterflies whereas others such as Dark Green Fritillaries or Brimstones can be frustratingly difficult to approach.

I shall be seeking out Purple/White Letter Hairstreaks this weekend to test precisely that hypothesis.

I've had hours of frustration chasing Fritillaries with my camera. They are some of the most unhelpful butterflies i have come across But if you persevere for long enough you will usually be rewarded. On the Great Orme in llandudno earlier this year i encountered some Dark Green Fritillaries and tried to get a decent picture. Eventually i gave up trying as they were just too active and would not settle. As the clouds started to come over in the evening i found one on the floor and it allowed me to get very close and take lots of photos (crawling on my hands and knees i got some very funny looks from the tourists)