31 Mar Butterfly Photography | March 2026

Lessons from Butterfly Photography

Sara Orangetip

Welcome to butterfly photography.

Even though butterflies work the day shift, when there is sunlight, they are still difficult to photograph.

As you know, butterflies are small, they stay for seconds, and they fly like crazy snowflakes.

And so, taking photos of them can be a learning experience.

For example, we learn about:

🦋 Rewards

Capturing their beauty in a photo (as shown above) is a wonderful reward.

Of course, this requires patience, skill, and time.

That’s because butterflies are highly independent. They ignore appointments, directions, and requests.

California Sister

🦋 Surprise

Sometimes you find an unexpected bonus.

For example, I was leaving the park when I saw a California Sister. This was a new butterfly for my life list.

And now I want to find another one so I can take more photos.

Red Admiral

🦋 Risk

There is always the chance there will be no butterflies.

After all, butterflies don’t send a text to tell you they will be somewhere.

So going out involves risking failure (no butterflies). And we counter our resistance by imagining reasons to go out.

Behr’s Metalmark

🦋 Mindfulness

While outside, pay attention to everything around you.

For example, I was walking on a path when I noticed movement in flowers to my right.

So I paused. And I found this small butterfly.

By the way, I’ve been practicing mindful walking, which involves moving carefully, deliberately, and slowly. If I had been walking quickly, I would have missed noticing this butterfly.

White Checkered-Skipper

🦋 Patience

This very small butterfly will fly back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

And it looks like a small, gray speck in the air. If you blink, you can lose sight of it.

So I have waited and waited and waited.

Then it’s very sensitive to movement. Thus, it takes off when I point my lens at it.

Yes, I have spent hours trying to capture photos of it.

But that’s okay because I spent that time finding other butterflies.

So there are always rewards waiting to be found.

We just need to show up, pay attention, and be patient.

Much success,

Steve Kaye

Find More at:

Moth Photography

Activity at Your Local Park

Allow Wonder

Did You Know?

The most effective way to help birds is to buy land.

Here are three organizations that excel at doing this.

1) American Bird Conservancy

2) The Nature Conservancy

3) The Trust for Public Land

Please visit their web sites to learn about the work they do.

Here’s an excellent book: The American Bird Conservancy Guide to Bird Conservation

You can help – Please share this blog with others.

Inspiring Respect for Nature, one bird at a time.

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