Western Pygmy Blue

Posted by Craig Lipski on Tue May 02, 2017 10:38 am

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Western Pygmy Blue
Brephidium exilis

Hidalgo Co, TX

With a wingspan of 12mm, (<1/2"), it's the smallest N. American butterfly and one of the smallest in the world. It could lay spread-eagle (spread hummingbird?) on a dime with room to spare.

Canon 1D MkIV
100-400 4.5-5.6 v.2 @400 mm
f/5.6 @1/500 sec
iso 400
Evaluative +.67
Handheld, natural light

Comments, constructive criticism, and re-posts always welcome.

Good light,
Craig

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by Carol Clarke on Tue May 02, 2017 3:33 pm

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A shame about the slightly distracting pale background area, but the little butterfly is just beautiful with sweet detail. I wonder if it would be possible to crop some off the left side (if the image can take it) to concentrate more on the star of the show, more like your thumbnail.

Just my two cents worth Craig.

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by Tom Whelan on Tue May 02, 2017 10:05 pm

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The butterfly looks great - I'd agree about the background.
Have you tried using a 500D diopter with the 100-400? It's awkward to use, but it gets you closer for little ones like this species or hairstreaks.

Tom

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by Matthew Pugh on Fri May 05, 2017 9:05 am

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Hi

As the other mentioned just getting in closer would add more impact to the overall shot - but sometimes these fellows are just too much a hive of activity for that suggestion to be reasonable lol

I enjoyed the view - thanks

All the best
Matthew

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by StevenDillon on Fri May 05, 2017 4:53 pm

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Matthew Pugh wrote:Hi

As the other mentioned just getting in closer would add more impact to the overall shot - but sometimes these fellows are just too much a hive of activity for that suggestion to be reasonable lol

I enjoyed the view - thanks

All the best
Matthew

While I haven't actually tried this, I've read that you can use a sugar water solution to seed an area where the butterflies are and it will not only attract them, but keep them in one spot for a longer time as they slurp it up.

Regards,

Steven

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