Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Butterfly up close

Here's a tip-- much as we would all like to think it's possible, it's almost impossible to take a macro shot of a butterfly with available light. If the problem is not with shallow depth-of-field, it's a problem with the butterfly's movement, or the wind, or framing or focus. My solution for field shooting is this -- I turn on the wireless mode on my SB-600 flash, use my camera's built-in flash as the trigger, set my camera to f/16 or f/22, pre-focus, then hold the flash out and above the butterfly, hold the camera in the other hand then shoot away. Yes, this is an actual in-the-field shot. The detail is so good the scales that make up the butterfly's wing is clearly visible when you view the image at 100%. Nikon D200, AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8.