Camberwell Beauty - Favourite Photo of 2011

[The Annoying Czech]

Probably the best thing on Camberwell Beauty is (saving the fact they're unmistakable) the possibility of making a "friendship" with separate imagos: they're very sporadic, territorial, long-living and sometimes unexplainedly tame.

I think I've seen just two Beauties this year, but every time I had a great fun with. One of them literally lived in my friends' cottage, got addicted on human sweat and even had a name: Camberwell Karl. I do hope Karl will overwinter successfully.

However, this one's not Karl But I want to believe this CB, worn in a lovely way, has a lion's share on the fact I'm shooting butterflies. Lets say the shot might be significantly better, but it's my very first archived and one day will be certainly historical - with an imago that already looks very historical

[Reverdin]

This battered Beauty was deep in the South of France in late April. A wonderfully pidgin conversation was had with a local orchid photographer who informed us he had seen the elusive beauty some miles away, and thanks to Roger Harding and a TomTom we found it precisely where our new friend said it had been earlier in the day.. well worth the 20k or so we drove on the off-chance.

battered beauty

you lookin' at me ?