In this new series of blog posts, I will share with you my top tips for better butterfly photography. Having photographed and studied butterflies for over 8 years now, these are my learnings, experiences and failures. Today, top tip number 1: preparation.
Knowing where to go
The first order of business is to know where to look for butterflies.
- Butterfly associations: their websites usually offer plenty information on species occurring, distribution and seasonality. Should your country have seasons, it is especially important to check when a certain species actually flies. Keep in mind though that flying times may differ from year to year and climate change affects them all.
- Observation.org is a great tool on a national or regional level. It may help to see where other people have spotted butterflies. It is a website where every individual can easily record species. The international scientific community uses these data for research and preservation (I encourage you to contribute!). You can find all recorded specimens for a specific region or even square mile. Whenever I travel to new places, I use Observation.org to check what I may encounter.
- Fellow photographers are a invaluable source of information. You can exchange tips for the best places, chat about equipment and lenses, discuss trends etc. In a crowded country such as Holland, I often meet other photographers in the field and rarely miss an opportunity to talk.
Planning your trip
- Google Earth is, needless to say, a very useful tool for planning trips. Whenever I go to a new location, I use it to get a feel for the area. It tells me where I can park my car, which is the shortest path through a forest and even whether the exact location may be in the sun or in the shade, depending on how close it is to a treeline for example. However, nothing bets using your own two eyes on location. Let Google Earth be your compass, you stay the captain.
- Taking notes. I try to visit two new locations every year. I always take notes on driving time, where I can park, how much time I need to walk to the exact spot, which locations proved productive and which ones did not. Over the years, I accumulated a wealth of information that I would never have memorized otherwise. Whenever I plan to revisit a location, I check my notes how to plan for it. Saves me a lot of time and trouble.
- Reconnaissance. When I go somewhere for the first time, I often just wander around in broad daylight. It is a reconnaissance mission. It provides an opportunity to see where butterflies mass and where they don’t, which blooming flowers are visited and which are not, and what species are present. It also tells you a lot that Google Earth cannot: the lay of the land, where fences are, what areas are closed to the general public and how thick the crowds are. I stopped counting how many times a place looked interesting on Google Earth and once I got there the “closed” sign ended my day before it had begun. That’s the value of scouting beforehand!
The evening before
- Checking the weather forecast is the first order of business. Nothing annoys me more than having a beautiful butterfly in my viewfinder, seeing it going from left to right and back again in strong winds. The best conditions are windless, sunny and chilly mornings and evenings. Winds up to 3 Beaufort are manageable with a fast shutter time, more windy is less fun. Rain is even much less fun, although a short downpour on a sunny day can provide nice opportunities.
- Set your alarmclock and be bold with it! Yeah, I know what it feels like….you have worked from Monday to Friday and are tired. Just that extra bit of sleep appeals to you. I always regretted it the next morning when I arrived just a little too late on location for the best circumstances. Still happens to me once in a while….I am human after all 🙂 This is also why I note driving and walking times: I know exactly at what time I need to get up to arrive on time.
- Equipment check. I always check if I have enough fuel in my car in order to avoid having to visit a service station, losing critical time going to a location. Again, this may sound pretty obvious, but I would not write this from my personal experience if it wasn’t on my failure list….
More on equipment in the next blog in this series.
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM f/5.0 1/320 ISO 100
