The Shapes of Things

The Blog Post in Which You Begin to Wonder Where the Butterflies Are

As you know, I make pictures. I make a lot of pictures of nature. When I show up with my camera at the butterfly conservatory, you may assume that I’m going to point the camera at the butterflies. I will. But you probably won’t be seeing any great specimen photos from me.

I love the butterflies, make no mistake. But I kind of stink at butterfly pictures. I kind of stink at wildlife pictures in general. Good photos of any kind of fauna require patience and particular technical skills to make sure focus is precise and composition is strong. There are multitudes of wildlife pictures that wonderfully and accurately capture our animal friends, and anything I could come up with would pale in comparison.

I’m interested in the shapes of things. The butterflies, sure. But also the plants, and the water. How they sit and move in the light is what motivates me to try to capture some glimpse of their essence.

My solo field trip to the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory last week was a treat - a little slice of the tropics, and a salve for the soul - at the end of a long and somewhat tiresome pandemic winter. My visit was limited to two hours (per the current rules and regulations) and a lovely two hours they were. The birds and butterflies were busy; the turtles and giant snails much less so.

I walked. I sat. I looked.

I made some pictures (click the images for an expanded view).

I don’t see any butterflies, you’re thinking. Didn’t you just say you went to the butterfly conservatory?

I assure you, there were loads of butterflies. But I stink at butterfly pictures, remember?

Okay, fine, here are a few. Nothing scientific, mind you. Just a few moments in time captured with my chosen artistic tool.

Thanks for sticking with me, despite the lack of detailed butterfly close-ups. And thanks, of course, to the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory for my favourite two hours of last week.