Insect peeps, HELP!

[Barbara Ponder]

Why are all my flat out butterflies always out of focus on one side? What am I doing wrong?

[IzzieK]

The "bug-gers" in this group will be able to help you here I am sure. Entering another genre? I think some people here do a stack but how with fleeting butterflies? Always good to tease them off with honey that much I know...and does bees. Can't help you here I am afraid...

[Dave Humphries]

Why are all my flat out butterflies always out of focus on one side?

Welcome to the "there ain't enough Depth of Field for the subject" club

It isn't just you, we all suffer from it, especially with a DSLR - bridge camera users with their smaller sensor have an advantage over us for shots like this, but even they may struggle.

Izzie has suggested stacking, which, if you could pull it off, might work, but whether it would stay put long enough is another matter, esp. if you're trying to shoot with a tripod (for more chance of success stacking).

It isn't a bad shot even so, although if mine, I'd clone over that super bright lower right corner.

Cheers, Dave

[Saorsa]

They are never really flat and f6.3 isn't optimal for DOF vs Diffraction. You should probably be shooting at about f8 or f11 for better DOF.

Out of focus always seems worse by area. In this shot One wing is totally OOF but since it occupies so little of the total area it doesn't look too bad.

[Geoff F]

You have to be absolutely square on to them in order to prevent problems with focus depth or having one wing appearing bigger than the other.

And as you edge around to that perfect angle they fly away!

Also to consider, is that when you get them completely flat they can look too much like a pinned dead specimen.

Some butterflies do look better in the wings up position; and that angle is often necessary for identification.

[JBW]

there is a basic rule of frustration that applies here. The only things that will be in focus are those things that are at an equal distance away from you. It is possible to be a little further back and use a higher F/ to deepen the in focus area But it will always be a battle between the better definition of an in close shot versus the greater in focus area of a further out shot.

I use a bridge camera and one useful trick I use is to go with macro and just a touch of telephoto. The telephoto ups my F/ and the macro gives good detail. The only problem is that with the touch of telephoto I need to be on a tripod or it is blurred.

[Stagecoach]

Why are all my flat out butterflies always out of focus on one side? What am I doing wrong?

Very simply Barbara, lack of DoF because you shot this at f/6.3 Looking at the Exif you were at ISO1000 with a shutter speed of 1/250s so if hand-holding your options were pretty limited due to the light conditions.

Do you have a flash, if so you can use this to assist when the light is low if you really want that extra DoF.

[Barbara Ponder]

Dave, Brian, Geoff, Brian, and Grahame, I knew I could count on ya'll for answers! Thank you so much!

Grahame, I did use the on camera flash but it didn't help enough apparently.

[Shadowman]

Nice, you've got quite the collection going with the butterflies.

[Geoff F]

Flashing butterflies is risky when the wings are extended. The flash often makes them twitch their wings and gives a blurred result.

And today, I was attempting to get a better angle on a Peacock butterfly and almost made the slow slide to a better position; then, of course, just as I was thinking about focusing - off it flew!

[Barbara Ponder]

Nice, you've got quite the collection going with the butterflies.

Thanks John! Much easier to do when they are in one central local We have an excellent Butterfly museum here.

[Barbara Ponder]

Flashing butterflies is risky when the wings are extended. The flash often makes them twitch their wings and gives a blurred result.

And today, I was attempting to get a better angle on a Peacock butterfly and almost made the slow slide to a better position; then, of course, just as I was thinking about focusing - off it flew!

Good to know about the flash. They are quick to move that is for sure!