It’s that time of year when
hundreds of people flock to the glasshouse at the RHS garden at Wisley, Surrey,
to see the tropical butterflies on
display there. Many photographic “purists” may balk at the idea of photographing
captive, bred specimens, but I think this is a wonderful opportunity both to
see some spectacular insects close-up, and to try out new kit and techniques.
I’m off to the jungles of Borneo later this year, and hope to see some of the
butterflies there, but doubt that I will get as good an opportunity to
photograph them in such detail.
Wherever possible I always use a tripod or monopod, though this will not be possible when members of the public are present in most places. If in doubt. ask one of the attendants.
Of course, the images you
obtain will not be natural, and it is highly possible that you will get south
American butterflies perched on Asian plants for example, but it is really the
only way of photographing these species without travelling to exotic
locations. I also use it as an
opportunity to try out new camera angles and composition. It can be very boring
seeing a series of butterfly shots where the wings are all parallel to the
camera, and square in the frame. Try tilting the camera, or photographing the
butterfly head on. Again, this would not be easy in the wild.
Behaviour
Photographing
in controlled conditions can give unique opportunities to photograph butterfly
behaviour. Mating, laying eggs and emergence from pupae are worth looking for
as the subjects will generally stay in the same place for a good length of
time. Many butterfly houses have
emergence areas where pupae are hung on sticks, where you can watch and
photograph butterflies emerging from their pupae.
There
will also be good opportunities for shooting close-ups of eyes and other
details.
Condensation
The question I am asked most
is how to prevent condensation forming, when taking a cold camera into a hot
glasshouse. The trick is to warm the camera first. I used to put a hot water
bottle in my camera bag, but now pack two or three re-usable handwarmers around
the camera to keep it warm whilst I travel to the garden.
The larva of the Owl butterfly (Caligo memnon) feeds on banana trees and grow to a large size.
Lenses
A
well designed butterfly house will have a number of paths through vegetation,
so the subjects should never be too far away, but even so, a relatively long
focal length macro lens will be useful. I frequently use my 105mm macro lens
with 1.4 or 1.7X tele-converters, or a 70 – 200mm lens, sometimes with a small
extension tube. A 200mm length macro lens would be good.
Light
I
always prefer to use natural light whenever possible. The light in glasshouses
is often soft and diffuse, particularly if the glasshouse roof is whitewashed,
or has blinds to diffuse the light. On sunny days though, the light will be
harsh and contrasty. Small reflectors or diffusers can be useful; though do
require a very co-operative subject! All of the images shown here was shot with natural light.
If you haven’t done so already, do make a trip to Wisley in the next few weeks.
The butterflies are there until the 8th March. I doubt that you will be disappointed!
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