Lori Azevedo
July 2024 - Blue Morpho Butterfly
About the Image(s)
Our local zoo just opened a butterfly exhibit, and I could not wait to take my granddaughters with ulterior motives of shooting photos. This is a photo of a Blue Morpho Butterfly. When the butterflies have their wings open, they are a brilliant blue. It is the undersides you see there that that fool the predators with many eyes. You can see a glimpse of the at the top of the wing. My goal was to try and capture the beauty of the fingertip-type texture of the wings and also get the butterfly with open eyes. I struggled with how closely to crop still wanting to see the entire image of the butterfly.
I shot this photo with my Nikon D850. ISO was set at 400 with f2.8 and 1/640/sec.
Your comments are always appreciated.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
9 comments posted
Welcome to the group. Lovely shot with great details. You succeeded in getting its eye opened and in nice focus. Not sure if this is your original or a cropped version. I would remove the partial leaf in the lower right that is in harder focus as it's not adding anything to the image and the leaf immediately behind it is in much softer focus. Your wide-open f stop created a wonderful background, however, the wing closest to the viewer falls soft. I would assume your focus point was higher on the upper wing where the two wings meet. Depending on your background an f/4 or f/5.6 might have brought more of the closer wing into focus on the butterfly. Great camera choice, btw. Posted: 07/05/2024 21:59:14
Thank you for your comments. I look forward to hearing for the group. Comments and critique are much appreciated. This is a cropped photo. Probably could have easily removed those leaves. Posted: 07/06/2024 03:14:05
Welcome Lori. Nice shot of these elusive creatures. They are one of my favorite things to shoot also. I think your color quality is my favorite thing about this one - the light on the wings makes the colors pop and the markings stand out. I appreciate the sharp focus on the mid-section and especially the eye and antennae. But the hardest part of doing butterflies is getting all of the guys in perfect focus, and I feel there is a bit of drop off on the bottom and top of the insect. Posted: 07/08/2024 14:29:36
You are so correct on the focus drop off. This little guy just didn't know how to hold a pose. Posted: 07/17/2024 16:44:03
I have done my share of butterfly images and it not an easy shoot. It is hard to get those guys to sit still. Nice job with the eyes, you were spot on. With the wings, you almost have that "fingertip-type" texture you were after. The center of the wing, the head, the eye and the leaf are sharp. Then it goes a little soft. When shooting in the field, sufficient light is always a challenge, especially when trying to maximize DOF. Do you ever carry a reflector with you? In my opinion, don't worry about that leaf. It adds to the natural feeling of the image. Also, which lens were you using? For this type of work, I often use a Nikkor 105mm Macro f/2.8. That lens gives me bit of an edge. All that being said, very nice image. Posted: 07/22/2024 01:41:53
Thank you for your comments. I'm so green...not sure what a reflector is? Posted: 07/22/2024 22:18:29
It is any method of reflecting natural light onto your subject. In the past I have used a piece of white matt board or poster to reflect light. I now carry circular piece of material that is white on one side and silver on the other side. Amazon sells them for about $10. Mine is 12" in diameter and easy to carry. There are numerous variations on the same theme. The white side tends to increase contrast and the silver side diffuses the light a bit. Both are used to minimize harsh shadows on your subject. In addition to my camera and lenses, three pieces of equipment I try to carry with me at all times are: a tripod, a polarizing filter and a reflector. I don't use them all the time, but they sure come in handy if the need arises. Posted: 07/23/2024 01:14:59
I love butterflies. If only they would pose for us. Lots of great information here. I might try to lighten the butterfly so it contrasts a little more with the background.
Welcome Posted: 07/23/2024 19:21:22
Welcome Posted: 07/23/2024 19:21:22
Hi Lori, Welcome to the group!
I think you've captured beautiful color in this shot and the focus on the butterfly eye is well done.
I agree with Ruth's suggestion to explore lightening the butterfly. Posted: 07/28/2024 01:12:14
I think you've captured beautiful color in this shot and the focus on the butterfly eye is well done.
I agree with Ruth's suggestion to explore lightening the butterfly. Posted: 07/28/2024 01:12:14