Search found 2654 matches
- Thu Jan 04, 2024 5:09 pm
- Forum: Personal Diaries
- Topic: Goldie M
- Replies: 4302
- Views: 2626918
Re: Goldie M
I've got 50 species so far, still a few to go, ... The last few can be the hardest but perhaps re-introductions will help. I had to go up to Scotland for my final one - Chequered Skipper - but since then, I've photographed some in Fineshade Wood, Northants in 2022. I'm not sure which are your last ...
- Sat Dec 23, 2023 2:42 pm
- Forum: Sightings
- Topic: December 2023
- Replies: 23
- Views: 28180
Re: December 2023
A friend reporting seeing a Brimstone in flight today, during a walk near Ardington, Oxon (near Wantage)
Mike
Mike
- Wed Dec 20, 2023 9:05 pm
- Forum: General
- Topic: 78 years of butterflying
- Replies: 13
- Views: 13087
Re: 78 years of butterflying
Like others, I enjoyed reading your retrospective Jack. In comparison, I was a late-comer, largely through photography, where butterflies presented an interesting challenge for obtaining attractive images. It was my son who really caught the 'bug' and encouraged me to photograph all the 'mainstream'...
- Sun Sep 17, 2023 12:50 pm
- Forum: Personal Diaries
- Topic: Pauline
- Replies: 5208
- Views: 561439
Re: Pauline
There have been a number of constraints on me this season which have been outside of my control. These have significantly impacted the number of butterfly outings I have been able to enjoy and severely restricted my time at venues. A superb resumé of your 'butterfly year', Pauline. Despite the cons...
- Fri Sep 15, 2023 4:03 pm
- Forum: Photography
- Topic: Panasonic Lumix FZ330
- Replies: 36
- Views: 19495
Re: Panasonic Lumix FZ330
While what Jack says is all true, I'm not sure that it is the problem in your case. The two cameras have the same size of sensor and very similar specifications overall, except that the FZ330 maintains constant aperture across the whole zoom range and also has weather sealing. I looked at the EXIF d...
- Tue Feb 28, 2023 12:41 pm
- Forum: Photography
- Topic: Overall Favourite Butterfly Photo of 2022
- Replies: 15
- Views: 1666
Re: Overall Favourite Butterfly Photo of 2022
Even a boring 'Cabbage' White can make a nice photo, so I shall give this one a moment of glory. Photographed on 12th September at Nuneham Arboretum, near Oxford, where it was nectaring on the attractive white flowered shrub Heptacodium miconoides.
Mike
Mike
- Thu Sep 01, 2022 2:47 pm
- Forum: Sightings
- Topic: August 2022
- Replies: 93
- Views: 11836
Re: August 2022
Sorry, not a butterfly but the Hummingbird Hawk-Moth ( Macroglossum stellatarum ) is a species that has been eluding me for years. They seem to have been especially prolific this year, however, even visiting my son's garden in central Reading. My photos were taken in a relative's garden near Salisbu...
- Sun Aug 21, 2022 11:32 am
- Forum: Personal Diaries
- Topic: Pauline
- Replies: 5208
- Views: 561439
- Mon Aug 08, 2022 6:57 pm
- Forum: Personal Diaries
- Topic: Pauline
- Replies: 5208
- Views: 561439
Re: Pauline
I like your darker-style images too. You could try using a touch of fill-in flash on some of the against-the-light images. I sometimes think flash is at its most useful in bright sunlight, where dark shadows can seem much 'blacker' than in reality. The Jersey Tiger shots are very nice too. My son wa...
- Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:21 pm
- Forum: Personal Diaries
- Topic: Pauline
- Replies: 5208
- Views: 561439
Re: Pauline
I always like to see SSS - where did you find those?
- Thu Jul 14, 2022 10:27 am
- Forum: Personal Diaries
- Topic: Pauline
- Replies: 5208
- Views: 561439
Re: Pauline
Wonderful emergence sequences, Pauline, and some interesting early stages too. You are obviously having a great season
Mike
Mike
- Mon May 23, 2022 8:55 pm
- Forum: Sites
- Topic: Chequered Skipper at Fineshade Wood
- Replies: 4
- Views: 743
Re: Chequered Skipper at Fineshade Wood
I've added a note - in my post - there is no need to go beyond the public access area.
Re: May 2022
22nd May - Fineshade Wood Northants From the Forest England website https://www.forestryengland.uk/fineshade-wood/chequered-skipper-butterflies " The [Chequered Skipper] butterfly which was previously extinct in England has been successfully breeding in Fineshade Wood. The population is now st...
- Thu Jan 20, 2022 10:55 pm
- Forum: Peacock
- Topic: Peacock - Favourite Photo of 2021
- Replies: 24
- Views: 1499
Re: Peacock - Favourite Photo of 2021
While, fortunately, the upperside view of a Peacock basking in sunshine is still a frequent sight in UK, I have chosen an underside view. It is an extraordinary result of evolution, to create such a cryptic underside that hides this butterfly so well during its hibernation. peacock_uns-2021a.jpg Mike
- Sat Jan 15, 2022 2:01 pm
- Forum: Orange-tip
- Topic: Orange-tip - Favourite Photo of 2021
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1154
Re: Orange-tip - Favourite Photo of 2021
I always enjoy seeing that flash of orange when I visit my local Dry Sandford Pit reserve in the Spring. They are always very active, constantly patrolling the cliff face that forms a boundary to the reserve, so photographs always involve a lot of watching and waiting for the brief moments when they...
- Tue Dec 07, 2021 2:55 pm
- Forum: Holly Blue
- Topic: Holly Blue - Favourite Photo of 2021
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1056
Re: Holly Blue - Favourite Photo of 2021
With both holly and ivy growing in my garden, I can always rely on seeing Holly Blues flitting around throughout the season. They are not so easy to photograph, however, having a knack of perching on top of leaves in inaccessible places! I managed to manoeuvre myself into position for a shot of this...
- Tue Dec 07, 2021 2:45 pm
- Forum: Green-veined White
- Topic: Green-veined White - Favourite Photo of 2021
- Replies: 11
- Views: 1044
Re: Green-veined White - Favourite Photo of 2021
My butterfly photography has been quite limited this year but I did have a small collection of Green0veined White photos to choose from. I selected this particularly colourful example, taken at my local Dry Sandford Pit reserve in April.
Mike
Mike
- Thu Nov 18, 2021 9:32 pm
- Forum: Gatekeeper
- Topic: Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2021
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1172
Re: Gatekeeper - Favourite Photo of 2021
No problems in choosing: this is the only Gatekeeper I photographed this year. A nice array of spots, though.
Mike
Mike
- Wed Nov 10, 2021 11:20 am
- Forum: Photography
- Topic: Compositing
- Replies: 17
- Views: 1844
Re: Compositing
I think those are beautifully created artworks Chris, of which any illustrator would be proud. There are now Field Guides that use modified photographic images to ensure 'realism' of their subjects. I think yours have considerable artistic merit and you should be proud of them
Mike
Mike
- Tue Nov 09, 2021 7:51 pm
- Forum: Photography
- Topic: Compositing
- Replies: 17
- Views: 1844
Re: Compositing
As someone who believes that post processing is an integral part of photography, I'm always aware of the potential for taking things too far! Way back in film days, techniques such as 'dodging and burning' were part of the photo printer's art and, indeed, the preparation of a good print was consider...