Local Places for Photo Opportunities
Macro Butterfly tips on how to capture your best shot by Mark Cooper
Member of Salisbury Photography Club
Mark has plenty of experience of photographing locally around Salisbury and one of his best known skills is capturing Butterflies in situ. Over the years he has experimented with his camera trying to capture butterflies in all their guises and here are his top tips!
Equipment Required:
Short focus or Macro lens
Support Tripod/Monopod, Bean Bag
Reflector, Scissors, Wimberly Clamp! (Useful extended clamp), Mat to lie on!
Best Time to Photograph
Evenings to locate butterflies
Early morning sunrise for photographing.
Normally butterflies roost in exposed grass heads or low trees - get to know the specifics of your species !
Best Local Spots
Bentley Wood for early Fritillary
Figsbury Rings for Adonis Blue in May/June and August/September - two goes opportunity in one site!
Martin Down (Woodside) for Red and White Admirals in summer (Grass side) Marsh Fritillary May/June - watch out for Adders!
Odstock for Chalk Hill Blue in summer!
How to advice:
Use a stealthy slow approach without putting a shadow over your subject early or late for roosting butterflies
Best open wing shots obtained on first opening at sunrise!
Avoid days with wind speeds above 10 MPH!
In flight hopping between flowers at least 1000 second
For still subjects 1/15th to 1/200th
Aperture to gain full depth of butterfly while still isolating your subject. Anywhere between f2.8-f11 - so as low and near as possible!
Use scissors to cut excessive grass but not rare plants when possible!
A diffuser can be used carefully on full sunlit occasions but assistant useful and the butterfly can just fly off! As at any point in the process of photographing butterfly!
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