Post your Butterflies!! Tips on how to capture them.

Hye5, great capture, i love the blossoms with the butterfly.

I am still nearly 4 months from seeing the first butterfly of the season in my area.

King Kenny wrote in post #18298703
The European Peacock.

Hosted photo: posted by King Kenny in
./showthread.php?p=182​98703&i=i264844058
forum: Macro

Knapweed and thistles sure attract butterflies!

Here are three of my favorites, all photographed at the Huntington Gardens in southern California. I'm no butterfly expert and cannot identify any of them but they sure are beautiful and a fun challenge to photograph. I have my best luck with longer lenses.

1)

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …/BPD42294-X2.jpg&lb=1&s=A

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …/_MB_0332-X2.jpg&lb=1&s=A

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …/_P1D8552-X2.jpg&lb=1&s=A

^Very nice, Bob! I like the composition and photo-bombing wasp in #2.

Thanks Micro5797! I know what you mean...This was the first I have seen here in a long time.

bpalermini wrote in post #18298846
Here are three of my favorites, all photographed at the Huntington Gardens in southern California. I'm no butterfly expert and cannot identify any of them but they sure are beautiful and a fun challenge to photograph. I have my best luck with longer lenses.

1)

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …/BPD42294-X2.jpg&lb=1&s=A

2)

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …/_MB_0332-X2.jpg&lb=1&s=A

3)

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …/_P1D8552-X2.jpg&lb=1&s=A

Same for me...Long lenses all the way!

A while ago, using my old Bigma.

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com …127017039@N06/3​3025004160

Black phase Tiger swallowtail
I like this as the flowers appear to be stretching out to draw the butterfly's attention.

It's never too late to learn, nor better way than capturing good photos, then IDing them, so you can name your image file.

I believe the first is a Monarch, and the other two shots are Gulf fritillary.

Good tips!

Micro5797 wrote in post #18068966
If you spook a butterfly, stay put and they will usually return to about the same spot with in a couple of minutes.

I watched a Sulfur on a very windy day. I probably spooked it, so I just stood still. It took off, was carried by the wind to about 40 yards away & 30 yards high, fluttered around a bit, then came back & landed about 6 inches from where it took off from.
The thing was, there was nothing there that I could see that I thought might interest it, & it was pretty amazing that those little eyes were able to keep track of where it wanted to go.

PhotosGuy wrote in post #18299710
Good tips!
I watched a Sulfur on a very windy day. I probably spooked it, so I just stood still. It took off, was carried by the wind to about 40 yards away & 30 yards high, fluttered around a bit, then came back & landed about 6 inches from where it took off from.
The thing was, there was nothing there that I could see that I thought might interest it, & it was pretty amazing that those little eyes were able to keep track of where it wanted to go.

I do find that the sulphur are the most skittish and easily spooked, at least in my area.

BlazinBob wrote in post #18299005
^Very nice, Bob! I like the composition and photo-bombing wasp in #2.

Yes, That was a lucky fly-by.

Here's one more of, I believe, a moth from Huntington Gardens. This time with a 100mm macro up close.

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …/_D4_5253-X2.jpg&lb=1&s=A

bpalermini wrote in post #18302180
Yes, That was a lucky fly-by.

Here's one more of, I believe, a moth from Huntington Gardens. This time with a 100mm macro up close.

IMAGE LINK: https://photos.smugmug​.com …/_D4_5253-X2.jpg&lb=1&s=A

I believe this to be a skipper butterfly due to the bulb at the end of the antenna.
With the wide variety of skippers, i always have a hard time identifying them. I have seen moths with the same body/wing shape though.

EDIT:
I looked it up in my Kaufman field guide. It appears to be a male Fiery Skipper, a type of grass skipper found in California as well as the southern half of America.

Thanks for the ID, good to know. I always think of butterflies as being smoother.

I want to add a few from Hong Kong taken over last Christmas break.
The first two were taken in Hong Kong park.
The next two were taken near a tree favored by the butterflies outside the guesthouse in University of Hong Kong.
The last one was taken on a hike in Tai Po Kau.
They're all wild.
All taken with a Canon 7D, 300mm focal length. More exif data and ID (if known) are given with the photos.

Species unknown. 1/250s, f/9, iso 1000, a little flash was used.