Lukas Nursery has a "butterfly encounter," a large enclosure stocked with nectar and larval plants and hundreds of free-flying butterflies. The captives are so tame [or depressed] that they tolerate very close human proximity. Species like the zebra longwing, which I have chased without success at Leu Gardens, will perch on the end of a human finger. So I thought that taking great photos would be as easy as shooting those proverbial fish in a barrel. After dumping the day's haul onto my computer and viewing the 150 shots, I learned otherwise.
I blame my macro lens, which I used exclusively, although I realize that my amateur status as a photographer was more likely the
real culprit. I always aim for the eyes, and since the macro lens has such a small area of clear focus, I got lots of super-sharp butterfly eyes while the rest of the insect was reduced to blur. Below are some of my nicer efforts.
A Great Southern White:
Julia Heliconians:
And Zebra Heliconians:
I'll bet that shooting
real fish in a barrel isn't as easy as one might at first think!
