Malcolm Farrow Landscape and Natural History Photography
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Orange Tip Butterfly

Orange Tip Butterfly
Anthocharis cardamines

Date: 20th May 2006
Location: Rendlesham, Suffolk

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens Nikon 105mm AFS VR Macro
Exposure: 1/90 F14 ISO200
Flash: SB600 with diffuser
Flash compensation: -1.7 stops

Although the Orange Tip is a common species, their restless nature means they represent a challenge to photographers keen to shoot active, rather than roosting individuals. They also have a surprising turn of speed!

The latest autofocus cameras and AFS lenses offer far more chance of success than older manual focus models, but patience, anticipation and a little luck are required to achieve a good result. This butterfly was moving from flower to flower, nectering for perhaps only a second or two each time it settled. Although the background is a little untidy, the picture makes a nice portrait of the species, showing it in typical habitat along the edge of a woodland ride.

For me, Orange Tips are a sign that spring has really arrived and I look out for them each year with the same sense of anticipation as I do the arrival of the first swallow a few week earlier.

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