{"id":2620,"date":"2016-07-04T15:22:39","date_gmt":"2016-07-04T15:22:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.apogeephoto.com\/?p=2620"},"modified":"2019-02-08T23:08:18","modified_gmt":"2019-02-08T23:08:18","slug":"photographing-in-butterfly-houses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apogeephoto.com\/photographing-in-butterfly-houses\/","title":{"rendered":"Photographing In Butterfly Houses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learn how to get great butterfly images. Find out what camera equipment you will need and the photo techniques used for capturing beautiful butterfly photos in a Butterfly House.<\/p>\n

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\nCopyright \u00a9 Andy Long<\/p>\n

Common Blue Morpho –<\/strong>
\nMorpho peleides<\/em><\/p>\n

Come in tight to show just a part of them.
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It\u2019s a cold winter day, and you want to get some photography done–but not in the chilly weather outside. What to do? If you live in one of the twenty states with a butterfly house, head there for a couple of hours of interesting shooting. The types of butterflies you\u2019ll find will vary in species, size, and color with the time of year, but you\u2019re certain to have plenty of subjects. While you can capture a great butterfly shot outside during the summer months, chances are, the best shots will still happen at one of these built-in rain forests.<\/p>\n

Be ready for a fogged lens when you first enter, but after you get rid of that inconvenience, the fun begins. One way to get your camera ready on the way to one of these warm, humid butterfly zoos is to turn the heat on in your vehicle and put the lenses on the floorboard to warm them up. Putting them in Ziploc bags and then keeping them in there for a little bit when you first arrive in the room can also be helpful. More than likely, they\u2019ll fog at some point, anyway, so bring along a lens cloth to wipe them off from time to time.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t live near one of the butterfly aviaries in the country, visiting a botanic garden during the summer can also produce good opportunities to create butterfly images. No matter where you go, get there early in the morning, as these beautiful creatures are much less active early in the day before they warm up and begin going from flower to flower to gather nectar. Even then, if you notice one flower that\u2019s getting a lot of activity, you can stay there and wait for the butterflies to come to you.<\/p>\n

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\nCopyright 2007 Andy Long<\/p>\n

Great Mormon – Papilio memnon<\/em><\/p>\n

If you see a spot where numerous butterflies are landing, set yourself up and wait for one.<\/p>\n

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\nCopyright 2007 Andy Long<\/p>\n

Common Blue Morpho –<\/strong><\/p>\n

Morpho peleides<\/em><\/p>\n

Look for the colorful ones and wait for them to open their wings.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another reason for arriving when the doors to the botanic gardens or butterfly aviary open is you\u2019ll have time alone before the crowds arrive. If you go on a Saturday, expect to share the space with families bringing their young children for a fun outing. They typically don\u2019t show up for about an hour after the facility opens. However, going during a work week doesn\u2019t guarantee you\u2019ll have lots of space, either, because many butterfly aviaries have programs in which the schools in the area bring groups of students throughout the year. Making a simple call to the facility ahead of your visit to find a morning when no tours are scheduled would be best.<\/p>\n

Most butterfly aviaries have species from all over the world. It\u2019s almost like taking a trip to a Costa Rican rainforest where you would discover more butterfly species than almost anyplace else. However, because some of your subjects will be unique species, identifying them can be a challenge. There are several websites that have identification information, and you can locate identification books, as well. An easy shortcut idea is to find a volunteer\/employee who is walking around the facility when you\u2019re shooting, have him tell you what the different individuals are, and write their names down.<\/p>\n

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\nCopyright 2007 Andy Long<\/p>\n

Chocolate Pansy – <\/strong> Precis iphita<\/em><\/p>\n

You have to look all over the place to find them hidden, just out of plain sight.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\nCopyright 2007 Andy Long<\/p>\n

Great Mormon – Papilio memnon<\/em><\/p>\n

There’s usually one part of the aviary where the windows face the sun and it usually attracts a lot of butterflies, so they can warm up.
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EQUIPMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n