Fresh eyes of the small veined white. ISO 100 mm - f/2.8 - 1/15 sec.
Every year on social media I saw beautiful images of orange tips and small veined whites hanging or sitting in fields with cuckoo flowers, but unfortunately I wasn't that lucky yet in my local patch “Het Reggedal”. However, in April of this year I walked our dog early in the morning and to my surprise saw an orange tip sitting on top of a cuckoo flower in the park. At that moment a rush of adrenalin flew through my body and I finished my round earlier than normal and went back with my camera and tripod. Luck was on my side the orange tip was still in the same place and I was able to take my first picture of this beautiful butterfly. Of course I made many images that were not all equally beautiful, but it taught me to look differently at these butterflies in the field.
My first image of a orange tip sitting on the cuckoo flower in my local park. ISO 100 - 180 mm - f/3.5 - 1/400.
After my first finding of the orange tip, I found this butterfly more than once while walking the dog, if it was the same butterfly, I don't know, but learning to look paid off and for the first time I found in my local patch “Het Reggedal” the small veined white covered with dew around sunrise. And the following early mornings I was regularly successful in finding these butterflies on the blooming cuckoo flowers.
Small veined white covered in dew around sunrise. ISO 100 - 180 mm - f/3.5 - 1/125 sec.
Behind the scenes
How I made my images is not that exciting, but it is a time-consuming activity. When shooting these images I always use my tripod, inverting the center column so that the camera can be placed as low as possible. First I used my old Manfrotto tripod, but I recently replaced it with the Bat tripod from Benro. This tripod has the option of folding the legs so that the center column can easily be used above and below. With some images I have used a piece of plastic in front of the lens to create a haze at the bottom of the image, sometimes that adds something to the image and sometimes it doesn't. So it is trial and error in the field is my advice. When I want to capture more detail of the butterfly, I also use my Nisi's photo rail to be able to focus to the millimeter. When I'm doing this I imagine myself in the world of my subject and I have seen details in the dewy eyes and wings of the butterfly that I had never seen before. A wonderful voyage of discovery that requires more in-depth knowledge.
Finally, my principle is where I find the butterfly I create my image. I never move the butterfly, damselfly or dragonfly and I try to make the image background, as calm or as exciting as possible. When blades of grass in the background disturb the image, I bend or cut them away with my wallpaper scissors if possible. If the image remains too restless, I look further and try again. This way of photographing is the challenge for me and gives me great satisfaction when I succeed in making an image of an orange tip at sunrise in a natural setting. The edge of dew around the butterfly is the finishing touch.
Orange tip at sun rise covered in dew. ISO 100 - 100 mm - f/2.8 - 1/250 sec.
My journey continue to marvel and try to look with fresh eyes at "normal" subjects such as the orange tip and the small veined white.
More images in the gallery “New Work”.
Enjoy!