These pictures are from a month ago. I kept them aside and intended to get to them, but I got busy with Big Bend plans. I took them while just hiking around the neighborhood park with my Nikon Z50, which I like to carry as it is a very light weight camera. There is a small area with several large oaks between the path and a flood control pond and it was filled with these white flowers and this attracted a lot of butterflies.
There were many butterflies and the afternoon sun was still providing plenty of light, so I worked on positioning myself with the light at my back and waited with the flowers in front of me for the butterflies to come to the flowers.
These butterflies seem to come through town, put on a nice show, and then are gone. But they are fun to photograph and I probably stood around in the flowers beneath the oaks for 20 minutes shooting photos as the passers by probably thought I was a little odd.
These photos were all shot hand-held with a Nikon Z50 and Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm lens. There was enough light to let me shoot near base ISO with a shutter speed high enough to avoid noticeable motion blur. I tried to keep clean backgrounds for the images so that the butterflies would be the strong subject of the photos.
Now the flowers and the butterflies are gone and with the time change the sun is setting much earlier in the afternoon and I usually have to go hike at dusk which makes it much more difficult to shoot photos. I do often have some nice morning sunlight though.
Thanks for reading.
Nice. I love the orange in the wings. I think these are Monarchs on their annual migration to Mexico.
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I grew up along the Pacific coast in a seasonal Monarch migration-roost region. Walking in the hills alone when I was about ten, I rounded a corner right into a massive one. Beautiful, and amazing animals.
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That would have been quite the sight to see. What an experience. You’re lucky to have seen that.
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Very sharp images for handheld. I like the blurred backgrounds as well.
“the passers by probably thought I was a little odd” – to be honest as long as they’re not calling law enforcement then you’re probably OK 🙂
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Lovely shots! There are so many beautiful butterflies, I do love the bright orange color of the Monarch. You go from the bright orange of the canyon to bright orange butterflies. 🙂
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Thanks. Very autumn colored theme
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True! So are you going to photograph some pumpkins next? They fit the color theme.
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I am at a craft show today and there are pumpkins everywhere
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Well there you go, I had Esp! LOL! You have your camera, right?
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No, I am kind of a worker bee here
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Ahh! A busy bee. Well, hopefully you have your coffee. Pumpkin Spice coffee is an Autumn coffee you know. 🙂
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None for me, thanks
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I wouldn’t have believed you if you had said you were drinking some. LOL! Go ahead and have your black coffee. Though now I am wanting a Pumpkin 🎃 Spice latte.
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There are a couple of donkeys nearby and they are braying loudly. Sounds like one of your stories
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Haha! I don’t think I ever had a donkey in one of my stories. 🙂
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I have a picture of one for you
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Oh cool! I was going to say that you should snap a picture but I didn’t think you had your camera.
Well now I just might have to do a story on one. Though I don’t know …cows have caused me trouble and donkeys are known to cause trouble! 🙂
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I sent you a picture of the very vocal donkey
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Thanks, replied. 🙂
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Beautiful! I have a Z50 too. Do you ever have a problem with it freezing up on you when you’re trying to shoot?
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I have not had that problem. They did provide a firmware update a few months ago that I installed. You could try that.
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Beautiful. Yes, dark comes way too soon. On the bright side, we’ve been going to bed earlier.
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Absolutely stunning! Nature is so very beautiful up close!
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Thanks
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