Pink and Red Postman Longwing Butterflies Mating

A mating pair of Postman Longwing Butterly (Heliconius melpomene) landed on top of a laminated print pinned on a wall. It wasn’t an ideal spot for a tripod, so i have to take the shot against my will — hand-hold. I don’t normally do macro with the Canon 180mm lens without a support. It’s weighty optics and doesn’t come equipped with an Image Stabilizer.

My goal was aligning the subjects in focus plane as flat as possible with shallow focus so both the foreground, background and print are completely blurred out. Without a support, it was a challenge in a rather low light environment.

I can’t recall what’s that distanced white circle behind it but very happy how it turned out considering the low shutter speed of 1/160s and i have to lean over stair rail with one foot up to support myself. It’s even perfectly leveled! The end product looks as if it’s process of a graphic art, but in fact just few minutes of basic raw adjustments on color and contrast. The postures of the butteries from legs to abdomens and heads position are very satisfactory.

  • Canon, EOS 1D Mark IV
  • EF 180mm F3.5L USM Macro
  • ISO 800, 1/160s, F4.0 ,180mm
  • Texas Discovery Gardens, Dallas Texas
  • June 16, 2012
Pink and Red Postman Longwing Butterflies Mating

See more photos from LongWing Butterfly

  • Zebra Longwing Butterfly Mating
  • The Mating Dance of Tiger Longwing Butterfly
  • Tiger Longwing Butterflies Mating
  • Zebra Longwing Butterfly Mating
  • Doris Longwing Butterflies Mating

See more photos from Butterfly

  • Male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail from side view (Papilio glaucus)
  • Phaon Crescent and Common Checkered Skipper
  • A Mating Pair of Common Cattleheart Butterflies
  • An American Painted Lady on Scabiosa "Butterfly Blue"
  • Paper Kite Butterfly sits low on a perch
  • Queen Butterfly on a Leaf

Picture Licensing and Usage

Thank you for an interest in my photos. I do not give away any of my photos for free, profit or non-profit usage. Please do not use them without prior written consent from me. No exception. Photo Buyers for Publications, Advertising, or any other use please send your inquiry to below or contact me here.

Comments and Discussions