Photographing ButterfliesDave Blinder captures these beautifully patterned insects with the Tamron SP 180mm Macro lens. |
Article by Jenn Gidman Images by David Blinder |
Coral Hairstreak, Zabulon Skipper, and Great Spangled Fritillary might sound like names of characters from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but they're actually just a few of the butterfly species flitting and fluttering around the landscape of northern New Jersey. Photographer Dave Blinder can often be found pursuing these iridescent insects, using the Tamron SP 180mm Macro lens to showcase the insects' eye-catching colors and patterns. |
"The focal length and working distance of the 180 is critical for flighty subjects like butterflies, because you can't get superclose to some of them," he explains. "It also keeps your shadow off of them - if the sun's at your back and you're using a shorter lens, your shadow will fall on your subject, which you don't want in wildlife photography. Plus, the lens helps you create a gorgeous bokeh that really separates the subject from the background." |
Read on for Dave's tips on taking portraits of these flying phenomenons. |
Use a tripod. |
Select an ideal shooting time. |
However, I'll often try to shoot them early in the morning when there's a lot of dew. They may be more difficult to find, because they're not feeding and they're sheltering themselves from other animals and the elements, but they're very sluggish and much easier to photograph. They might even be completely still if they're resting on a leaf or tree branch. Many of my shots at this time of day are on the tripod at under 1/200th of a second, with a lower ISO to eliminate grain and noise. |
Freeze the action. |
If you're going for a butterfly in flight, aim for 1/1600th of a second. It needs to be so much faster because butterflies are lightning-fast. You need at least 1/1000th of a second just to freeze the wing action, because they almost go faster than what the human eye can track. |
Capture the butterflies in the most flattering light. |
When I'm shooting in broad daylight, though, I'm often fighting the shadows. I have a small portable flash attached to my camera with an extension bracket, which puts it very close to my subject for a more natural appearance. I may not use the flash all the time, but I always have it charged and ready to go. |
The flash can also bring out the iridescence of the butterflies' wings, which can be good or bad. It can be bad, for example, if you see colors start to become oversaturated or get shine bouncing back into the camera, which can look fake. Or you might get something weird, like a second catchlight in the insect's eye, which isn't very desirable, either. |
Know that some butterflies won't tolerate the flash at all. I've made the mistake of anticipating needing the flash, turning it on, taking a shot - and the butterflies are suddenly gone. It depends on the species. They're so fast in those situations that even the flash, which might be firing at 1/2000th or 1/4000th of a second, can't freeze the action. |
Show the butterfly's world - and personality. |
My overall intention is to make it look like they're posing for a portrait. With wildlife in general, you want the image to be a glimpse into the animal's world. At the same time, you want to give them space - you don't want them crammed in the picture. Position them off-center in the frame and have them face the open space of the image. It gives the appearance that the butterfly is actually looking around and gazing into its own territory. It adds a little personality to the photo. |
To see more of Dave Blinder's work, go to http://flickr.com/davidraymond. |