Take a second look

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were in the Ardennes. It was towards evening when we came across a meadow with hundreds of Orange Lucerne butterflies swarming. Unfortunately, it was too late to think about photography.
Luckily the next day we had fine weather as well, and the butterflies were still there. The meadow was full of dandelions, and the butterflies were feasting on the nectar. I had photographed several of the flowers, but every time I approached a butterfly, it flew to the next blossom.
At a spot on the edge of the meadow was a patch of red clover, and my wife Maria discovered a butterfly that did not fly off, don’t ask me why. Perhaps it had it’s fill of nectar, and was resting. Maria called me over to have a look, she is a great insect spotter.
Indeed, the butterfly was actually posing calmly, and I had the opportunity to get several shots. I was about to move on, when I decided to try a shot from straight on. As I was looking through the viewfinder, I noticed another clover blossom, completely out of focus. So I carefully chose my camera angle to create a symetrical splash of color directly behind my subject.
Ultimately, I had two very different images of the same butterfly. So you see, sometimes it’s worth it to take a second look.

Technical info for both images

Camera: EOS 5D MkII, with a gun-stock mount
Lens: Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM
Aperture: 9.5
ISO: 400.
Shutter Speed: Left image 1/500 and right image 1/180.