Jim recently posted:
"I decided to try using minimum fill flash in closeup shots outdoors.
In this case, it helped the flower considerably, but washed out the pale
Clouded Sulphur Butterfly. With darker subjects, it appears to work better.
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/Total+Immersion.jpg.html
The butterfly was immersed as deeply as possible in the deep-throated bloom.
Comments and critiques welcomed.
Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA"
For many of my butterfly shots, I use a T-32 flash mounted on a
Bogen "Magic Arm," and I can put the flash a foot or more away from the
camera. I like to have the T-32 well above the axis of the camera lens
(usually a Tammy 60-300 on the OM 65-116 auto extension tube) and in
front of the lens, and pointing downward. This lets the fill flash hit
the butterfly's wing at a very oblique angle, and this oblique angle
both reduces the "washed out" exposure that an axial flash will give and
helps bring out the veins and details in the wings. In Jim's shot, the
sun appears to be coming from about 1 o'clock, judging from the shadows
on the leaves. The fill flash leaves a slight shadow of the left wings
on the upper side of the right pair of wings. Where's the flash
located, Jim? It seems to be coming from below the axis of the lens.
Using axial flash with butterflies, whether reduced or not, will, I
feel, decrease detail in the wings and, too often, give a washed out
exposure. This is much less likely with an off-axis flash. (I know
I've explained this before.)
Exposure of the flower and leaves is very nice. Overall, an
interesting shot. Actually, it's maybe the first time I've liked a shot
that doesn't show the whole butterfly. The next step in this direction
will be to photograph a bumblebee gathering nectar or pollen from a
closed gentian--the bee forces the closed petals apart to enter the
flower, then it totally disappears inside the bloom, which closes up
again while the bee is feeding. I took a Super 8 movies film of a
closed gentian "giving birth" to a bumblebee as it backs out of the
closed flower. This always brings a laugh from an audience.
Dean
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