Ross Hoddinott is one of the UK’s leading outdoor photographers. He is the author of several photography books, including Masters of Landscape Photography, The Landscape Photography Workshop and Digital Macro & Close-up Photography. He is also a multi award winner in Wildlife Photographer of the Year, British Wildlife Photography Awards and International Garden Photographer of the Year. Ross lives in rural North Cornwall with his wife Felicity and their three young children. He has a lifelong passion for nature and conservation and is best known for his close-up images of insects and plantlife.

There are somewhere in the region of 20,000 butterfly species worldwide. Famous for their delicacy, colour and varied markings, few nature photographers can resist them. However, insect photography presents a wide range of challenges. Know-how, field craft, good technique, and patience are key to achieving consistently good results. Here are some top tips for taking great butterfly photos!

Do your homework:

Butterflies inhabit almost every type of environment, making them highly accessible subjects. In fact, you might not need to go further than your own back yard to find subjects – create a wildlife friendly area and plant nectar rich flowers to entice butterflies into your garden. To discover just where and when to look for a certain type of butterfly, do a little homework – reach for a good reference book, or start Googling.

It is important to know what type of habitat potential subjects prefer – heath, chalk, or grassland for instance?

What month of the year do adults emerge? A butterfly’s lifespan may only be a few weeks long, so the window of opportunity is short.

What are its main foodplants? Arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible before visiting suitable reserves.

Spring and summer are the peak times of the year for butterfly photography. Typically, the best time to see butterflies is during the heat of the day when they are on the wing, feeding, and breeding. However, this is also when they are at their most active. This can make it trickier to get close enough to take good photographs. Stalking is the only option at this time of day. Follow (don’t chase) butterflies and then, when they land to feed or bask, slowly but efficiently move into picture-taking position. Stay aware of where your shadow is, as if you cast your subject into shade, it will almost certainly fly away. Insects are very sensitive to movement, so tread carefully too – if you nudge nearby grasses, flowers, or foliage, you will likely disturb the subject.

When stalking, expect a low ratio of success. Frustratingly, butterflies will often fly away before you have the chance to fire the shutter. And when butterflies are active, you have absolutely no control over where the insect might land, the light, or the look of the subject’s background. All you can do is be opportunistic and reactive to the subject’s behaviour. However, with patience and perseverance, stalking can provide plenty of success.

Time of day:

While I enjoy seeing and photograph butterflies during the day when they are active, I prefer the control of shooting them when they are roosting during early morning and late evening. Not only are they less active at these times and easier to approach, but the light is warmer and more dramatic. Finding roosting butterflies relies on good habitat knowledge and multiple visits to the same reserve to locate roosts, or to watch subjects settle for the night. Try to stick to footpaths and be careful where you tread when looking for butterflies. Butterflies will often roost on tall grasses, on flowers, or among vegetation. Some butterflies will perch close together, making them easier to spot. Insects are more likely to disappear among denser vegetation if its wet or windy. You will have more success searching for roosting insects when the weather is calm.

Still weather is best for close-up photography. Even the slightest breeze will make it tricky to focus or compose images accurately. This is due to the subject (or what it is perched on) moving. Once the temperature has dipped and insects become cool and inactive, they will normally be tolerant to photographers setting up a tripod close-by, which will aid both focusing and framing. With the subject effectively asleep, take your time to explore the frame for any distractions and carefully remove any distracting debris or stray grasses. Also, you have more opportunity to be creative with lighting. Think about the sun’s position and consider shooting toward the light to backlight, or even silhouette, your subject. Butterflies have beautifully translucent wings that suit being backlit. If it is overcast, consider using a portable, handheld LED device to mimic attractive rim-lighting.

Lens choice:

The further away you can remain from your subject, the less likely you are to disturb it. Therefore, lens choice is an important consideration. You need a close focusing lens to capture frame-filling shots of small invertebrates.   The cheapest option is to attach a close-up filter or extension tube to an existing lens. This type of close-up attachment works by reducing the lens’s minimum focusing distance, thus enabling it to focus nearer and produce a greater level of magnification. However, the disadvantage of attachments is that they don’t provide a large working distance – in other words, you must get very close to subjects to take good photos. Ideally, invest in a dedicated macro lens for butterfly photography.

Macros are optimised for close focus and provide a magnification of up to 1x (life-size). Ideally, opt for one with a focal length upwards of 100mm – the longer the lens, the larger the camera-to-subject distance. I use a 200mm macro for many of my butterfly images, but longer lenses are best used in combination with a support. For handheld work, a macro in the region of 100mm is perfect – ideally opt for a lens boasting image stabilisation.

Camera set-up:

When shooting handheld, speed is important – select a shutter speed fast enough to eliminate both subject and camera movement. I would recommend setting an exposure time upwards of 1/500sec, although you can capture great close-ups at much slower speeds. When required, don’t be scared to increase ISO sensitivity to generate a fast enough shutter. Most modern digital SLRs and mirrorless bodies boast excellent high ISO performance.

It is important that butterfly photographers are in full control of depth of field, so opt for either Aperture Priority or Manual exposure mode. When shooting at higher magnifications, depth of field is shallow. While large apertures in the region of f/2.8 or f/4 are great for producing artier results, attractive bokeh, and clean, diffused backgrounds, they rarely generate a big enough zone of focus to record a butterfly sharp throughout.

Regarding settings, there is no golden formula. The subject, level of magnification, and result you desire will dictate your aperture choice. But a mid-range f/number, in the region of f/8 or f/11, is often a good starting point. Although depth-of-field is limited, you can maximise what is available by keeping your camera parallel to the subject. This is because there is only one geometrical plane of complete sharpness, and you will typically want to place as much of your subject as possible within this plane.

Focusing:

For handheld butterfly images, autofocus is often the best and most reliable option. Although AF can struggle to lock-on to macro subjects (partly due to the lack of light and reduced contrast), modern systems are much improved. For relatively static subjects, a single AF point is often the best choice. Simply position the AF point on your chosen point of focus (typically the subject’s eyes). However, with camera’s providing a wide choice of AF modes, suited to different subjects, it is worth experimenting to discover which is most effective. For example, eye-detection AF is now very reliable and can work successfully with some macro subjects. And for moving subjects, predictive and tracking modes can be useful. Ultimately, your set up will vary depending on your camera and the subject you are shooting.

In situations where you can fix your camera to a tripod, manual focus is often the best option. It allows photographers to precisely select and place their point of focus. And even without a support, many close-up photographers still favour focusing manually when practical. Manual focus is most effective when combined with using the camera’s monitor. LiveView allows butterfly photographers to utilise focusing aids such as focus peaking. You can also use the magnify button to enlarge the point of focus for precise, pinpoint focusing. Manual focus removes the risk and frustration of AF hunting back-and-forth to find focus and negates the need to use your lens’s limiter switch.

Composition:

Simplicity is often key to capturing successful butterfly shots. Try to keep backgrounds clean, diffused, and free of distractions. Using lenses with longer focal lengths and larger maximum apertures will help you achieve this. Placing your subject on a dividing third (as per the rule of thirds), will help you achieve more interesting compositions. Don’t assume that filling the frame with your subject will always produce the most impact. Negative space will help provide your subject with ‘breathing space’ and context. It will also potentially help convey a sense of size and scale.

Don’t always wait for butterflies to bask with their wings open flat to take pictures. A butterfly’s underwings are often beautifully marked, so when a butterfly is resting or roosting, capture a side-on view to highlight its profile, wing detail, and hairy body. A head-on view can produce quirky portraits of the insect’s extraordinary eyes and antennae. If you wish to produce standout results, explore different shooting angles and viewpoints. If you wish to capture a more environmental style close-up, attach a short focal length lens, and select a larger zone of focus to include more of the surroundings.

Ethics:

Beautiful butterfly images should always be captured in situ, naturally, and ethically. Trapping, detaining, or refrigerating subjects is completely unacceptable behaviour. Do not spray insects in an attempt to replicate the look of morning dew and, (unless you are an experienced entomologist) do not handle or move insects. Be always considerate, and sensitive to both the subject and its habitat. The subject’s wellbeing is more important than any photograph.

Conclusion:

Butterflies are a highlight of spring and summer – exquisitely beautiful subjects that are irresistible to photograph. Join your local Wildlife Trust, or Butterfly Conservation, to learn more about butterflies, their fascinating life cycle, where to see them, and how to help protect them. And if you wish to learn more about close-up photography, why not grab yourself a copy of my book, Digital Macro & Close-up Photography – New Edition or even consider booking a 1-2-1 workshop with me.