The light falling on this Silver-spotted Skipper butterfly (Epargyreus clarus) yesterday was beautiful and dramatic at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland. I was focusing on the butterfly with my camera set for spot metering and I think that setting was largely responsible for creating the dark, underexposed background.
I was going to crop the image, but decided that I like the composition as it came out of the camera. My normal impulse is to zoom in or crop the shot so that my subject fills a larger part of the frame, but in this case I really like the large amount of negative space.
This shot reminds me a bit of a studio shot, the kind that would have required a number of carefully placed lights to create the same dramatic effect, not to mention a cooperative butterfly. Taking advantage of the natural lighting required a whole lot less effort. “More drama and less effort”—I like the sound of that as an approach to photography, which often seems so complicated.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I too like the composition and the negative space, Mike. Our eyes have no choice but to move around the flower and the butterfly. I flick from the blue flowers to the blue spot on the butterfly. Nicely done!
Thanks, Chris. The image is very different from my typical photos and it’s nice to stretch my creativity a bit. So much is written about photographers having a personal “style,” which may be necessary if you are trying to make money, but I like to mix things up occasionally and see what happens.
I think about style often… and like you Ihave a range of interests in photography and like to mix it up. But what differentiates you Mike is your seasonal subject matters. Crystal clear images of insects and birds – that’s your signature style.
Well: unless your style is “eclectic,” in which case you can mix things up as much as you like!
I never had tried spot metering until I read about it here. I tried it, and got that same black background. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted at the time, but never mind that — I expanded my knowledge, and can appreciate this beautiful image much more.
Super shot. Well done.
Thanks, Victor.
Beauty of a shot. 🙂
Thanks, Ed.
I particularly like the way the blue flower casts a very pale blue shadow on the silver spot. Nice work.
Thanks, Sally. It takes an artist’s eyes to notice a detail like that.
Beautiful shot. The flower looks like pickerel weed, one of our native aquatics. This is the first time I’ve seen a butterfly on one.
That’s interesting, Allen. The skipper was all over the plant and kept returning to it. I appreciate the assist with the identification.