Late Season Butterflies

We got clobbered with rain here in NY on Sunday, but before the rain I was able to catch these butterflies in my yard and the park across the street from my house.  Perfect way to spend Sunday Morning.

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl

The Monarchs are in town...

This weekend we had family visiting and a bbq on Saturday and I was busy with issues from my job that had me crazy, but at in between moments I ran outside with my camera to capture the monarch butterflies that are visiting my butterfly bush this week.  What beautiful creatures they really are.

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl

Butterflies in my yard

I may never get rich taking the photos I want to, but it sure does make me happy.  Maybe that is the key to everything....

Keep Makin' Art!
CArl

Butterflies and Cone Flowers - Skylands

A beautiful late afternoon in Skylands.  I wandered through the wildflower garden photographing the butterflies as they moved among the cone flowers.  My favorite thing about Skylands is that every time I go there I find something different to photograph.

Keep Makin' Art!
Carl

Butterflies | Oneonta, NY

On my way home from Ithaca Saturday I stopped in at the butterfly conservatory in Oneonta, NY.  My reward for driving the extra distance was several types of butterfly I have not been able to photograph before.  They were very active this visit... probably because it was a nice warm afternoon.  I had to be quick, but got some really nice shots.  I am happy I stopped in for an hour on my journey home.

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl

More Butterflies...

I made another trip to the butterfly conservatory. I guess I am longing for the warm summer days when I can photograph them in my yard or up in Ringwood. I do like the conservatory for its variety of butterflies though. At home I only get one or two types.

I am getting the hang of shooting in the place finally and noticed now that I know I will get a useable exposure.. I can focus on composition a little more. I would prefer more light to shoot by so I don't need to use a high ASA setting.... Maybe next time I'll use a monopod to steady things. The 100mm lens gets a bit heavy when you are shooting slose up like that and trying to hold still.

Keep Makin' Art

Carl

A Day at the Butterfly Conservatory

What do I do when I wake up and the temperature has dropped forty degrees overnight and there are fifty mile an hour winds blowing the snow around.... I head to an oasis in upstate NY, the Joseph L. Popp Butterfly Conservatory in Oneonta. It is a sure cure for the winter blahs. My Niece Jessica travelled with me on the long drive through the Catskills, so we could take photos of the birds, reptiles and butterflies on display. It was a perfect way to spend a chilly morning.

Keep Makin' Art!

Carl

Butterfly Conservatory

Joseph L. Popp Jr. Butterfly Conservatory

Oneonta, NY

I took a road trip this morning to the Joseph L Popp Jr. Butterfly Conservatory in Oneonta, NY. It was well worth the three hour ride to get there. It has much more than just butterflies. It has birds and reptiles too. Thanks to Victoria at http://blog.victoriafatumphotography.com/ for telling me about this unique place. Check out Victoria's blog she does great Infra-Red work and has taken wonderful photos at the butterfly conservatory.

The variety of creatures and the natural setting are a real draw to anyone who wants to take photos of butterflies and tropical birds and reptiles. One thing to note is that flash photos are not allowed and the lighting is a bit of a challenge. I had to push my ASA up to 1600 on my macro lens to be able to shoot. This worked well, but I would have preferred to shoot at 400 so that there would be less noise in the images. That said I am very happy with the shots I got. The best part is the conservatory is open all year. I have a feeling I'll make a trip when this winter seems too long and need a bit of a tropical vacation in an afternoon!

Keep Maklin' Art

Carl

PS Housekeeping Note: I will start posting about my new journey into Oil Painting on Monday night. I need to take some photos of the work done in my first two lessons.

CS