Photographing Butterflies
A Return to Chambers Farm Woods
Personally speaking, nothing marks the changing seasons quite like a walk through my favourite woods. Whatever the week or month there is always something new to see, during the Winter the change is somewhat lethargic but Spring and certainly Summer is a time for new, interesting and quite often sudden developments. It had been a couple of weeks since my last visit and I opted for a different route to my usual one, the expanse of woodland is quite huge so there are plenty of options to make one’s time here well spent.
Walking around the side of the woods I was struck by the amount of wild flowers which had seemingly appeared from nowhere. Splashes of colour adorned the pathways and the surrounding fields and the whole walk took on a complete new meaning. The sudden emergence of these flowers has done much to attract butterflies, moths, bees and hoverflies and as I stood watching them I was reminded of my early childhood days trying to catch them.
Meadow Brown Butterfly
Now I am no expert on butterfly species so if any of you spot a glaring mistake please let me know…
Small White Butterfly
This is the first time I have bothered to photograph butterflies, I was using a 100-400mm lens but next time I shall bring a macro lens option along. Sadly some of the image quality is lost when processed for web use but you can get an idea of what can be found in and around English woods and meadows. Here’s one of my favourites, the colours are quite stunning..
The Peacock Butterfly
Part of the woodland trust project is to regenerate land for attracting more insects and butterflies to the area, the paths are not yet open to the public but should be quite something when they are done.
Here’s what I believe is a Wood White butterfly, again the web image loses some of its detail which is a pity because it looks quite amazing uncropped. So there you are, I won’t be dropping everything to pursue a lifetime of butterfly spotting but it made for a pleasant couple of hours in between downpours.
Wood White Butterfly
Superb pictures Miles !
August 13, 2008 @ 7:44 am
Miles,
I’ve had an attack of the cabbage whites, not nearly as glamorous as those above and although I don’t like caterpillars munching on my greens, I do like to see butterflies.
The colours are beautiful in those pictures, you could put a fashion collection together based solely on them.
Cid
August 13, 2008 @ 8:50 am
Rod,
Thanks, all shot handheld which is probably more down to Canon image stabilisation than any skill on my part
Miles
August 13, 2008 @ 3:16 pm
Cid,
I thought these colours might appeal to your bohemian nature!
Miles
August 13, 2008 @ 3:17 pm
what sort of Canon are you using? My husband wants to do some butterfly photography and I wanted to get him a DSLR but really don’t know which one - there are so many choices.
August 13, 2008 @ 6:09 pm
Miles,
Have you thought about approaching the major supermarkets with your photographs? They must get their ‘bags for life’ images from somewhere. On grounds of class alone I think we should aim for Waitrose. Modelling will be no problem, Elsie and I would willingly glide up and down the isles sporting the MC tote
Following on from that, I recently saw a new radiator design… a tall slender flat panel with a photographic image… very glam but alas no price given.
Cid
August 13, 2008 @ 6:19 pm
Miles,
Great photographs, very sharp. The butterflies have been few and far between this year. Coming out late, a bit like the bees. I am finally getting some on my buddlia.
Elsie
August 13, 2008 @ 8:16 pm
Cid,
I shall be devoting more time to my photography over the coming months hence the reason I am cutting back on the kitchen garden and trying to post a new blog article every day. A change in direction is a bit overdue so maybe you will see one of my images on your next shopping spree, it’s already been on fish and chip paper after all
Miles
August 13, 2008 @ 9:21 pm
Elsie,
Thankyou, you are quite right about the lack of butterflies which reminds me of a recent comment of yours regarding the state of our bee population. I do think we are, by and large guilty of taking these things for granted. They are an inherent part of the English countryside and we should value their prescence more.
Miles
August 13, 2008 @ 9:24 pm
Eloise,
Welcome to the blog and thankyou for commenting. I use the Canon EOS 5D which is part of Canon’s pro series cameras. They do make a range of DSLR’s to suit most people’s budget. It really does depend on what you want to spend. £500 will get you a perfectly decent camera body with a kit lens. DSLR’s are the best choice but you have to be prepared to buy the lenses. Canon make lenses to suit budgets too, you can buy a 1000D or 450D body and fit some of canon’s cheaper lenses to it and get perfectly acceptable results. If, on the other hand you spend a lot more on a body such as the 5D or 1D series then cheaper lenses are wasted on it.
My advice would be to think first about your budget and what you would be prepared to spend on a couple of lenses and combine that with what you would realistically use the camera for. I like to photograph wildlife but food photography is my main interest therefore the equipment I buy is geared towards that particular field. If I can shoot some decent wildlife shots whilst I am out walking then that’s a bonus.
If you want more advice then feel free to email me at miles@gourmetfoodsource.com and I would be happy to offer you some choices geared around your budget.
Hope this helps.
Kind regards
Miles
August 13, 2008 @ 9:39 pm
Hi Miles,
Interesting post, especially since I just returned from another phase of my own “walk in the woods” — although mine is a hike through the mountains of Colorado. The high alpine wildflowers are in full bloom and the butterflies have been amazing. I haven’t taken any butterfly photos, but I’ve enjoyed hiking along watching them flutter from flower to flower. Your photos are beautiful. You should prepare a Butterfly Guide! I’m heading out for another 93 mile segment tomorrow, but I’ll stop by on my next resupply! Lots to catch up on with your prolific posting. I love it!
Take care,
Melissa
August 14, 2008 @ 2:58 pm
Melissa,
Great to hear from you again, I do envy you trekking through Colorado, the scenery must be stunning. I look forward to reading about it all. Hope you have a great time!
Miles
August 14, 2008 @ 3:26 pm