Hi! Took this picture when I was in Taiwan. Can anyone identify what kind is it? There's a lot of them flying around everywhere. Comments to the shot greatly welcomed!
Butterfly Pic (For your comments pls)
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Nice compo, nice whites, but try to keep the butt parallel to the camera plane to get the wings sharp too.
Thank you for the comment and advice. Any suggestion I can do now to sharpen the wings?
Btw, does it look underexposed or just ok? I'm using my laptop screen to do the viewing and it looks a bit underexposed.
Btw, does it look underexposed or just ok? I'm using my laptop screen to do the viewing and it looks a bit underexposed.
Exposure is just a slight under, not too bad.
For sharpening, there is a limit what you can do. Image must have some sharpness first before any PS can bring it out more. As DOF is shallow for macros, try to get subject parallel to the camera plane to get all of the subject sharp.
I think u hv done quite well given the situation. If u are really into butterfly photography, u must hv the right equipment, photography knowledge and a keen interest to understand their behaviour/characteristics.
While most would prefer a "parallel to its folded wings" approach, including me ;p, sometimes it is better to capture like what u did. For this instance, I might actually try to go closer and isolate the background.
While most would prefer a "parallel to its folded wings" approach, including me ;p, sometimes it is better to capture like what u did. For this instance, I might actually try to go closer and isolate the background.
thanks. will try out the next time. Just that it's really hard trying to get the butterfly to do what you want. 
Was using a Nikon 60mm Micro to do the job. Maybe the 105mm is a better lens to start with?
Taking butterflies not my primary interest but since it's there when I happened to be there and the butterflies are there, I try my luck la!
Any suggestion what depth of field should I normally set to? I think this was set to F8 on the 60mm.
Taking butterflies not my primary interest but since it's there when I happened to be there and the butterflies are there, I try my luck la!
Any suggestion what depth of field should I normally set to? I think this was set to F8 on the 60mm.
Was using a Nikon 60mm Micro to do the job. Maybe the 105mm is a better lens to start with?
Taking butterflies not my primary interest but since it's there when I happened to be there and the butterflies are there, I try my luck la!
Any suggestion what depth of field should I normally set to? I think this was set to F8 on the 60mm.
60mm is very short, even 105mm is short. The longer the better, nikon 200 micro? If u hv a 70-300mm lens, u can actually try using a +2 CU filter which u hv to focuss between 50-60cm away from the subject.
As for aperture used, for a small butterfly like this and going close to 1:1, I would use F8 and above, with a long macro lens. For larger butterflies, try < f/8. But it all depends on the situation.
Viclam,
I think this is a heliophorus ila matsumurae (family of lycaenidae). Which part of TWN?
Took this Jin Gua Shi (near to Jiu Fen). It's up in the mountains. But it's near to Kee Loong and Taipei.
BTW, you might be right. Did a search on google on pictures with that name.
紫日灰蝶（紅邊黃小灰蝶）
Victor
BTW, you might be right. Did a search on google on pictures with that name.
紫日灰蝶（紅邊黃小灰蝶）
Victor
just checking with the better macro shooters here, if you're using a macro lens that gives you a longer focusing distance, how will your lighting be? let's say i don't own a flash for macro photography.
TS: if you mind, i'll delete my post. sorry about asking an OT qns here
Your question is very strange
I will try to answer. Irregardless of the focal length, and shooting at semi-auto exposure modes (like AV/TV priority), lighting should be the same right? Unless u are saying that by using a shorter lens, one has to go closer and hence might block out some of the light on the subject? Which is possible. Shooting with longer length will give you a more compressed perpective and hence you get more BG isolation.
Usually, we use fill-in flash, evaluative metering, AV mode. Sometimes the butterfly appears darker (due to backlit) than the background, then one has to compensate for more fill-in flash to make the butterfly brighter.
If anyone cares to join us for butterfly shoots, I think we will be glad to show you ard
Your question is very strange
Irregardless of the focal length, and shooting at semi-auto exposure modes (like AV/TV priority), lighting should be the same right? Unless u are saying that by using a shorter lens, one has to go closer and hence might block out some of the light on the subject? Which is possible. Shooting with longer length will give you a more compressed perpective and hence you get more BG isolation.
Usually, we use fill-in flash, evaluative metering, AV mode. Sometimes the butterfly appears darker (due to backlit) than the background, then one has to compensate for more fill-in flash to make the butterfly brighter.
If anyone cares to join us for butterfly shoots, I think we will be glad to show you ard
perhaps i phrased it bad but i think you got alittle of my idea.
shooting butterfly the distance might be further hence using fill flash its sort of like direct flash whereas while shooting other insects using a shorter focusing distance lens eg 60mm the lighting is different in a way that you can use top and side lighting (using handheld perhaps)
so wondering if there's any difference to that. my macro shots were shot top lighting and a reflector to fill in shadows but if that's the case for butterfly at further range i might not be able to replicate that effect.
erm hope you know what i mean haha
perhaps i phrased it bad but i think you got alittle of my idea.
shooting butterfly the distance might be further hence using fill flash its sort of like direct flash whereas while shooting other insects using a shorter focusing distance lens eg 60mm the lighting is different in a way that you can use top and side lighting (using handheld perhaps)
so wondering if there's any difference to that. my macro shots were shot top lighting and a reflector to fill in shadows but if that's the case for butterfly at further range i might not be able to replicate that effect.
erm hope you know what i mean haha
Hi,
Fill flash is not direct flash as the way you put it. It is not using the flash as the main source of light or "first curtain syn". In first curtain syn , the flash is fired as the main source of light when the first curtain of the shutter is opened.
In Av, Tv modes the camera meters for ambient light and fills in the foreground subject using the flash. It does not assume that the primary light source is the flash, and therefore the shutter speed/ aperture it sets is the same as it would set if you are not using flash at all.
Fill flash as the name suggest is a "fill" to illuminate the finer details of the subject. In fill flash mode the first curtain of the shutter open and let in the ambient light and just before the second curtain closes the flash is fired with an appropriate intensity as metered by the camera to illuminate the subject on the fore ground. It is either refer to as "Rear syn" or "second curtain syn''.
If you are confused , this link might help you to understand flash photography more or might confused you further.;p
cheers!
perhaps i phrased it bad but i think you got alittle of my idea.
shooting butterfly the distance might be further hence using fill flash its sort of like direct flash whereas while shooting other insects using a shorter focusing distance lens eg 60mm the lighting is different in a way that you can use top and side lighting (using handheld perhaps)
so wondering if there's any difference to that. my macro shots were shot top lighting and a reflector to fill in shadows but if that's the case for butterfly at further range i might not be able to replicate that effect.
erm hope you know what i mean haha
Shooting butterfly is very challenging unlike most insects whereby you can use different types of flash techniques. Usually, we just use mounted flash on semi-auto modes. But if you are really lucky, for eg. a mating pair that does not get easily distracted, then you can try various techniques.
Not sure if this is true. But I think I read somewhere that shooting butterflies or insects need to be done early in the morning because the wings of the bug is wet due to dew thus they are not as active as they are normally. True?
Sorry, can't help with the ID. I like the pose, even if the wing is not all sharp. I feel the image is over-sharpened though.
I couldn't find any resources online, but I didn't spend much time on it. You can try searching from this link : http://www.butterfly.org.tw/home.php
They are less active around that time. But that also means they're harder to spot.
You can shoot butterflies anytime. One way is to stalk one until it stops to feed. Wait a while until it is in the middle of feeding, then approach.
I couldn't find any resources online, but I didn't spend much time on it. You can try searching from this link : http://www.butterfly.org.tw/home.php
They are less active around that time. But that also means they're harder to spot.
You can shoot butterflies anytime. One way is to stalk one until it stops to feed. Wait a while until it is in the middle of feeding, then approach.
Your question is very strange
Irregardless of the focal length, and shooting at semi-auto exposure modes (like AV/TV priority), lighting should be the same right? Unless u are saying that by using a shorter lens, one has to go closer and hence might block out some of the light on the subject? Which is possible. Shooting with longer length will give you a more compressed perpective and hence you get more BG isolation.
Usually, we use fill-in flash, evaluative metering, AV mode. Sometimes the butterfly appears darker (due to backlit) than the background, then one has to compensate for more fill-in flash to make the butterfly brighter.
If anyone cares to join us for butterfly shoots, I think we will be glad to show you ard
When and where do you usually go? Am keen to train up some patience...have trouble with flitting butterflies. Stalk, setup..then butter flies away....stalk, setup, fly again....:sweatsm:
Followed your link to the butterfly blog, very interesting and good source of knowledge...great work there!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:
True but that's just about it. In photographing butterflies, there are many opportunities to explore besides a dew-covered stationary butterfly. Wouldn't it be better if one can capture like what u did, a butterfly sipping from a flower? Or a butterfly in flight? Beautiful open-winged shots and many others?
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