A magic moment

[Catriona]

One wonderful moment.

[Charles Nicol]

Wonderful !

[Catriona]

The colour is not quite correct in the photo. As we parked the car, the Emporer swooped straight inside before circling me several times. My friend used my camera hurriedly to capture this brilliant photo once the Emporer had left the car.
Iona

[Catriona]

Another magic moment. This Small Copper sat happily on a path for quite some time whilst i took many photographs of it.

[Catriona]

I haven't mentioned that i use my small Nikon Coolpix. No flash used. And just the ordinary 'Auto' setting.

[Charles Nicol]

I haven't mentioned that i use my small Nikon Coolpix. No flash used. And just the ordinary 'Auto' setting.

as your lovely pictures show you do not need to lug around 2 kilogrammes of the latest technology to make great images. all of my stuff is using a basic Olympus bridge camera which slips neatly into my trousers without making me look deformed

[Catriona]

Thank you Charles. If I could afford a more decent camera then I wouldn't mind one bit carrying it with me! There are some things that I just can't master with my basic camera. The 'macro' setting defeats me so often.

I loved the many Small Copper photographs I was able to take - especially as it was an aberrant.

[MikeOxon]

There are some things that I just can't master with my basic camera.

Don't be misled into thinking a 'better' camera will make things easier - rather the reverse! The point about expensive cameras is that they provide more controls for people who (1) know how to use them and (2) want to use them. 'Simpler' cameras use automatic controls that get things right most of the time but can fail when the scene is unusual in some way. Your colours were not right in that first photo because the camera had no way of knowing what colour your jumper actually was. If it had been a general scene of sky, countryside, etc, it would have 'known' what to do.

Your Nikon P530 is a good camera so don't get something big, heavy, and difficult to use, unless you really feel that your present camera is stopping you doing what you want to do. Those Small Coppers are very nice images and show the blue spots of ab. caeruleopunctata very well

Mike

[Catriona]

Mike, thank you for your reply. It is interesting what you have said and I fully understand.

I assumed that the awful colour of the Emporer was due to my friend not knowing how to get the subject into focus whilst using my camera!! I was so disappointed at having such a butterfly sitting on me for a while yet not having a decent record of the event!

Thank you.

Iona

[bugboy]

Mike, thank you for your reply. It is interesting what you have said and I fully understand.

I assumed that the awful colour of the Emporer was due to my friend not knowing how to get the subject into focus whilst using my camera!! I was so disappointed at having such a butterfly sitting on me for a while yet not having a decent record of the event!

Thank you.

Iona

That the problem with with capturing a Purple Emperor in his full glory, the slightest change in angle to your view to his wings can greatly vary the intensity of the purple on his wings, quite often the wings just look black. If your friend was holding the camera whilst you were looking at it the chances are you were seeing very different looking butterflies!

[Jack Harrison]

...the camera had no way of knowing what colour your jumper actually was...

Well, I thought the jumper was a lovely colour. The Purple Emperor was quite incidental

Jack

[Catriona]

Dear bugboy and Jack.

Firstly, thank you for your warm welcome here by sending your messages - and which have made me smile!


The short episode of the wonderful Emporer 'attacking' me all happened far too quickly. I would love to have seen it's true colour. And by the way, my jumper is a real navy. Not the washed out blue that the photo depicts. Therefore, the Emporer will have been much more vivid.

Best wishes.

Iona

[Janet Turnbull]

A very magic moment! Also very interested in the discussion re. camera. Was the colour more like this?

FSCN2566 - Edited2.jpg (102.84 KiB) Viewed 2206 times

Cheers, Janet