How far do you usually travel when you want to take some photos? I capture a lot of my wildlife/nature images in my local area, but generally I get into my car and travel at least a few miles before I begin shooting.
Sometimes, though, I feel the urge to shoot, but don’t really want to travel far. In those moments I will usually walk over to the townhouse of my neighbor, fellow photographer Cindy Dyer, who always seems to have an assortment of photogenic flowers in bloom.
Last week I chased a Cabbage White butterfly (Pieris rapae) that I spotted fluttering about the flowers in garden. It passed by the globe thistles and the cone flowers and finally perched for a moment on a lavender plant. The sun was shining brightly, which I knew would create problems in getting a proper exposure of the dazzling white wings of the butterfly. I switched my metering to spot metering and the wings retained their details, but the background became really dark, creating a dramatic lighting effect that I really like. As always, I was thrilled to be able to see the beautiful green eye of this common butterfly that is often ignored or simply taken for granted.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
It’s a lovely image.
Thanks so much. It’s a pretty simple composition and I think that the lighting really makes it work so well.
I never think to change the metering – I will play with that next time I go out.
I don’t often play around with my camera’s metering, except when my subject is bright white, like this butterfly or an egret. I’ve had lots of experience with blown-out highlights in the past when trying to photograph these kinds of subjects.
Love the way he is watching the viewer – a lot of technique to get this shot, wonderful
Once again, you’ve given me an ID with your photos. Looking at my photos of the same critter, I found one that shows the green eye. It’s not as sharp as yours, but there’s no question what it is. No matter how far I have to go, I’d far rather chase one of these than PokemonGo!
I know many folks who could greatly benefit from getting out and pursuing butterflies. I’ve liked them for as long as I can remember and love stalking them, too. And, yes, their eyes–with the endless light play in their facets, are endlessly fascinating.
Delightful capture!
Thanks so much, Sarah. It’s amazing how often there is beauty only a few steps away.
Oh I know!! We just have to truly open our eyes 🙂
Beautiful shot, Mike! Spot metering – so glad you mentioned that! Sure did make your Cabbage White stand out :).