Compared with the shooting of bees in flight, most of the butterflies photographed are in a state of suspension, which is because the butterfly flies fast and the flight path changes impermanently, coupled with the two wings flipping up and down in flight, capturing the perfect picture is more difficult in timing.
Camera setup and preparation before shooting butterflies
1, camera and lens settings: the camera can be set to light premium (AV) or fast excellent (TV) according to the preferences of the photographer. Personally, I like to focus on light superiority (f8-11) and fast superiority as a supplement (mainly shooting butterflies in flight with wings open).
2, lens settings and selection. The lens is mainly autofocus. In addition to the wide-angle lens (special shooting of butterflies), the conventional focal length lens can shoot a good butterfly film, I use: 100 micro +80-200mm lens, of which 100 micro will use more. 80-200mm lenses are used when photographing large butterflies such as butterflies.
3, shooting butterflies, you need to pay attention to the choice and treatment of the background. Butterflies like to visit flowers and suck pollen, staying on the flowers, and the clusters of flowers look full of joy, but it is very easy to cause chaos in the shooting picture. Therefore, in the process of shooting butterflies, the selection and processing of the foreground background is very important to improve the perception of the picture.
(1) Use the depth of field of the lens to get as close as possible to the subject butterfly and blur the background.
My personal habit: the preference for the best aperture of f8-11, the bokeh of the background, is achieved by shortening the shooting distance.
(2) Shoot calmly, do not seek speed. Choose relatively simple or ordered flowers as the substrate.
4. The best time to photograph butterflies. (1) Butterflies are a kind of cold-fearing insects, when the temperature is cool in the morning, the flexibility is low, often stretching their wings in the sun to "bask in the sun", which is a good time to get close to shooting.
The long-tailed brown clam butterfly, which is highly sensitive, is much easier to approach when "basking in the sun"
(2) In addition to sucking pollen, butterflies are also a good time to shoot when eating or sucking water.
Glass butterfly when sucking on water
Here's a look at the focus of targeted shots, combined with a few common butterfly traits:
1. Photography of the little gray butterfly. The small gray butterfly is the smaller of the common butterflies and is the easiest butterfly to photograph.
Most small gray butterflies have a monotonic color when their wings are spread
The closed wings of the small gray butterfly when it stops show the different textures and beauty of different varieties of small gray butterflies.
Three-star double-tailed swallow butterfly
Rippled little grey butterfly. Also known as: bean wave gray butterfly, ripple gray butterfly, bean pod gray butterfly
Cycad small gray butterfly
Red-rimmed yellow butterfly
Most of the little gray butterflies are not too afraid of people, sucking pollen is very focused, the pause time is also long, you can patiently choose the shooting time, and even often can be lured to the finger for shooting.
Chess stone small gray butterfly. Also known as: Aphid Butterfly
Silver-banded three-tailed grey butterfly
2. Shoot the butterflies. Most of the butterflies are similar in size to the small gray butterflies, and they are not too afraid of people. However, when the butterfly stops, the four wings are mostly two flat and erect in a "three-dimensional shape". Therefore, in order to clearly shoot the "stereoscopic" panorama of the butterfly, while taking into account the bokeh of the background, it is necessary to maintain an appropriate shooting distance.
Unlike other butterflies, the curved hook-shaped tentacles of the butterfly with large eyes are its characteristics, which appear to be a "tiger and tiger" aura. This is what you need to pay attention to when shooting butterflies.
Big white stripes make butterflies. Also known as: Ginger Butterfly
Butterflies
Red butterflies
There are several "alternatives" in the butterfly, and the wings are flattened and outstretched when they are stopped. Such as: black skirt butterfly. When shooting, it is necessary to keep the picture clear.
Black-rimmed skirts for butterflies
3. Photography of pink butterflies. It is also the most common butterfly. The body size is between the small gray butterfly and the butterfly. Although the sensitivity is slightly stronger than that of the small gray butterfly and the butterfly, it is also easy to shoot.
Yellow pink butterfly
The wings and back of the pink butterfly are relatively plain, and most of the wings are folded and upright when stopping. The pink butterfly's stopping posture is very beautiful, and the shape is different from other butterflies, handsome.
Vegetable powder butterfly
4. Shooting of butterflies. Butterflies are medium to large butterflies. The variety is colorful and abundant. High sensitivity. The wings often open and close when they stop.
Leopard butterfly that has just been feathered. Also known as: white cat butterfly
There are many kinds of butterflies, and they are also the most colorful and colorful. The back of the wing can be included in the painting. In view of the relatively fast tension frequency of the wings of the butterfly, the stagnation time when the wings are often fully opened is shorter, so I adjusted the camera to Fast U TV at this time, and set the shutter (not less than 1/125) + continuous shooting.
Yellow butterfly. Also known as: Yellow Hook Butterfly, Golden HornEd Butterfly
Peacock butterfly. Also known as: beauty eye butterfly
Single-banded butterfly. Also known as: small one word butterfly, heterogeneous striped butterfly
And the difference between the wing surface and the back of the wings of some butterflies is really impressive: the divine creation of nature.
Dead leaf butterfly
Glass butterfly
Stone wall butterfly, also known as: silk scarf butterfly.
There are also many, many, many butterflies
Black-ended leopard butterfly
Forget about the tailed butterflies
Fine butterflies. Also known as: Toma butterfly
Red star-spotted butterfly
Hee-yellow three-line butterfly. Also known as: The Butterfly of the Chain
5, the shooting of the butterfly. The butterfly is the largest of the butterflies. The dancing butterfly is also the most popular butterfly. When I shoot butterflies, I shoot more in kuaiyou TV, and determine the safety shutter of the wings of the "freeze frame" butterfly dance according to the shooting distance (try not to be less than 1/320). In addition to close-ups, most of the time shooting butterflies have to be shot with medium telephoto
Citrus butterfly
Large glass butterfly. Also known as: glass phoenix butterfly
Sometimes conditions allow the use of wide angle close to capture, there is also a different sense of picture.
Photograph butterflies (including other insects). Peace of mind is important. Many insects, including butterflies, do not have good vision, but are very powerful in olfactory sensitivity. The photographer's peaceful aura also helps to get closer to the butterflies being photographed and get the chance to shoot local close-ups of the butterflies.
Although most of the butterflies photographed are at the time of the stop, it is because of the uncertainty of the position of the butterfly's stop. Basically handheld shooting. Sometimes the miniature tripod uses its own body as a fulcrum.
(Real shooting feeling, data and methods in the text, for reference only)