This article shares a small selection of in-camera focus stacked butterfly images captured handheld at the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory.
My wife and I had not been to the facility for quite a while. After buying our yearly memberships we decided to spend a few minutes composing some images.
NOTE: Click on images to enlarge
Since my wife wanted to use our M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro lens I decided to shoot some handheld in-camera focus stacked butterfly images with our M.Zuiko PRO 40-150 mm f/2.8 zoom.
The butterfly above is likely an Owl Butterfly (Caligo sp.) which is found in Central and South America.
This photographic approach was a good choice for me as It became quickly obvious that I was in need of a skills tune-up when it came to using this zoom lens with handheld in-camera focus stacking.
The butterfly above is a Rice Paper (Idea leuconoe) which is found in Thailand to Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan.
I was unable to identify the species of the butterfly above as it did not appear to match any of the identification photographs displayed in the lobby of the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory.
The butterfly above is a Great Orange Tip (Hebomoia glaucippe) which is found in India to Malsyia, China and Japan.
I was very fortunate to be able to capture this Blue Morpho (Morpho granadensis) with its wings extended and displaying its bright blue colouring. This butterfly is found in Nicaragua to Ecuador.
The butterfly above is a Clipper (Parthenos sylvia) which is found in India and Sri Lanka through Malaysia to Papua New Guinea.
If you are in the area and are planning to visit the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory more than one time in a calendar year it makes sense to purchase an annual pass. A single admission is currently priced at $19 with an annual pass costing $34. Regardless of when an annual pass is purchased, its duration ends on December 31.
Technical Note
The focus stacked butterfly images featured in this article were captured handheld using camera gear noted in the EXIF data. Images were produced from out-of-camera jpegs. I used my standard in-camera focus stacking settings for these photographs: 10 images were combined using a focus differential of 4. A single, small auto-focus point was used. This is the 1,359 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.
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Some very nice images there Thomas. My wife and I were there a few weekends ago. She with her 60mm f2.8 macro and me with my 40-150mm f4 and EM1iii.
I must admit, I didn’t try focus stacking. I’ll have to give that a try next time. I was trying Pro Capture. It’s a challenging environment there as the light can be very flat and low on a cloudy day or it can be overly bright on a nice day. Add in a bunch of persons also to maneuver around, it makes for a fun but at times difficult environment to photograph in.
Hi Derek,
I agree with your assessment that the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory can be a challenging environment in which to photograph. I was toying with the idea of doing some Pro Capture images as you did, but decided that I needed some practice with in-camera focus stacking with my 40-150 instead.
We plan our visits during weekdays so we can avoid the crowds… a luxury afforded to old folks 🙂
Tom