by Howard Cheek
Every season I try to get at least one of the Giant Swallowtail male doing his 'mating dance' to impress/attract the female..
This is from yesterday under cloudy skies using flash..
F/7.1, 1/500th, ISO 800, Canon 5DM2, 300mm f/2.8 + 2x ext & fill using monopod for support.
Comments
8 commentsFascinating concept Howard, I have never heard of butterflies doing a mating dance. Almost impossible to get everything sharp with such movement I would have thought especially at f7.1 but enough of the butterfly in flight is sharp to make this an excellent image of this behaviour. Really like the natural background. Wouldn't have known you had used flash in this because the lighting looks uniform. You must be pleased with this - Graham
WOW, amazing use of the flash on this one, Howard. A technical achievement I never worked through very well at all. This is a gorgeous display of the mating ritual you've mentioned.
The slight OOF stuff looks extremely natural in the scheme of what is taking place overall.......very nice indeed......
Hi Howard,
Nicely done--it is a difficult task to capture these butterflies in motion. Comp, bg, and butterflies are ideal...................Jim
This is a beautiful, magical image, Howard. Not sure most people realize just how difficult this is to capture. The female is beautifully rendered tip to tip. The male's head/torse is nice and sharp, the wing blur/motion is very natural and captures the "dance," and the curled probiscis is a nice touch. The colors are great, the bg is beautifully rendered at 7.1, and the lighting is perfect. Outstanding image.
I'm just blown away on how many times you have captured in-flight images of butterflies. If I had one in my portfolio I'd be thrilled. Another exceptional capture!
Good butterfly year for you, Howard. Another stellar image. Congrats.
Man, I see your Giant Swallowtails are at it again, Howard. Love the colors in the bf's and the background. The delicate pinks of the flower petals are a fine touch. Sure looks like sunlight to me...
This is, hands down, the loveliest butterfly photo I've ever seen. The lighting makes their wings seem almost translucent and the colors are magical. Thanks for making my day.