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Abstract

ion></figcaption></figure><figure id="1424"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*uFTmf1pt8em2aVzFPoXHOQ.jpeg"><figcaption>On the left is the beautiful Heliconius hecale and on the right you see the Idea leuconoe. The latter has a wingspan of 15 centimeters — © Marie A. Rebelle</figcaption></figure><p id="74d2">My 40mm macro lens has served me well over all these years, but to be honest, I had more failed photos than good ones. Sometimes I was all giddy when I saw the photo on the small screen at the back of my camera, and then, when I looked at it on the screen of my laptop, I realized it wasn’t as good as I had thought.</p><p id="5b95">Because of that, I had been pining for a different macro lens for years.</p><figure id="ccd7"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*Jz6k3cYiUl-1-C5VpT74qA.jpeg"><figcaption>Morpho Peleides — © Marie A. Rebelle</figcaption></figure><p id="2f84">The butterfly above — <i>Morpho Peleides </i>— is a remarkable appearance. When they have their wings closed like in the image above, their wings are shades of brown, and they have those ‘eye spots’. It’s when they open those wings that they show their absolute beauty, showing a beautiful cobalt blue bordered with black. Their wingspan can be up to 20 centimeters and they leave everyone in awe when they fly around in their butterfly paradise in the zoo.</p><figure id="ab6c"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*Vmf5ay0034sZMoRljFt11Q.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="25ac"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*4P6Oo7tuH6LWkc_LON0pVg.jpeg"><figcaption>On the left, the Dryadula phaetusa, with a wingspan between 7–8 centimeters, and part of the sub family Heliconiinae. On the right, the Heliconius Erato so essentially these two come from the same family — © Marie A. Rebelle</figcaption></figure><p id="116c">Where I now share images of the past years — all of them pre-Covid — things have changed.</p><p id="4969">Through <a href="https://medium.com/@marierebelle/list/mental-health-coaching-32c8349ff1e1">coaching sess

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ions</a>, I have learned I frequently need quiet time, and I need to do something only for myself.</p><p id="b5e2">It was during the Easter weekend I went to the Rotterdam Zoo with our daughters, and an idea started taking shape in my head. I thought about it a bit, mentioned it to my husband, thought a bit more and then bit the bullet: I went to the zoo all by myself.</p><p id="4afe">At the end of that day, I arranged for a year subscription, and have been to the zoo twice since.</p><figure id="1bed"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*C7ZuJ8S2RKCajOcak-U79w.jpeg"><figcaption>The beautiful Siproeta Stelenes again, where you can see part of the upper side of its wings. Can you see it’s sitting on a finger? That sometimes happens, that butterflies land on you, which makes it incredibly difficult to get a good image — © Marie A. Rebelle</figcaption></figure><p id="ee5b">And, to top that all off, at the beginning of July, my husband said we were going to our favorite camera shop. He had one goal, and when we left, I was the proud owner of a much better macro lens, a Nikon 105mm.</p><p id="fe98">Photos made with that lens will eventually make it here too!</p><p id="3a90"><i>If you’re thinking of joining Medium, click on <a href="https://medium.com/membership/@marierebelle">my referral link</a> to support me and other writers.</i></p><p id="9610"><b><i>Find more of Marie on <a href="https://marierebelle.medium.com/lists">her lists</a>, and here…</i></b></p><div id="96b1" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/those-long-drives-from-south-africa-to-namibia-67e3c1719770"> <div> <div> <h2>Those Long Drives From South Africa To Namibia</h2> <div><h3>I left many footprints in Namibia during our family vacations</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*QY0Q4N3gPl1FPSKC)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

PHOTOGRAPHY

Capturing The Delicate Beauty Of Butterflies

A butterfly garden, a macro lens on my camera and I’m happy!

Over the past years, I have made many pictures of butterflies.

I have been to the Rotterdam Zoo — Blijdorp — several times, but never only for the butterflies, and never alone. That had changed this year, though.

But this is not about now. This is about pictures made in previous years.

When I got my current camera — Nikon D5600 — about seven years ago, I also bought a 40mm macro lens with it. Macro had always been my passion, and I knew I would use this lens a lot.

And I did!

I couldn’t identify the butterfly on the left (please leave a comment if you know). The one on the right is a Siproeta Stelenes and their wingspan is 8–10 centimeters — © Marie A. Rebelle

Because the zoo is expensive and I could never hang around in the butterfly paradise for as long as I wanted, I looked for and found a butterfly jungle less than an hour’s drive from where we live. I’ve been there only twice, and the first time was with my mom six years ago. The second time with my daughter, and we retraced steps in memory of my mom.

On the left is the beautiful Heliconius hecale and on the right you see the Idea leuconoe. The latter has a wingspan of 15 centimeters — © Marie A. Rebelle

My 40mm macro lens has served me well over all these years, but to be honest, I had more failed photos than good ones. Sometimes I was all giddy when I saw the photo on the small screen at the back of my camera, and then, when I looked at it on the screen of my laptop, I realized it wasn’t as good as I had thought.

Because of that, I had been pining for a different macro lens for years.

The butterfly above — Morpho Peleides — is a remarkable appearance. When they have their wings closed like in the image above, their wings are shades of brown, and they have those ‘eye spots’. It’s when they open those wings that they show their absolute beauty, showing a beautiful cobalt blue bordered with black. Their wingspan can be up to 20 centimeters and they leave everyone in awe when they fly around in their butterfly paradise in the zoo.

On the left, the Dryadula phaetusa, with a wingspan between 7–8 centimeters, and part of the sub family Heliconiinae. On the right, the Heliconius Erato so essentially these two come from the same family — © Marie A. Rebelle

Where I now share images of the past years — all of them pre-Covid — things have changed.

Through coaching sessions, I have learned I frequently need quiet time, and I need to do something only for myself.

It was during the Easter weekend I went to the Rotterdam Zoo with our daughters, and an idea started taking shape in my head. I thought about it a bit, mentioned it to my husband, thought a bit more and then bit the bullet: I went to the zoo all by myself.

At the end of that day, I arranged for a year subscription, and have been to the zoo twice since.

The beautiful Siproeta Stelenes again, where you can see part of the upper side of its wings. Can you see it’s sitting on a finger? That sometimes happens, that butterflies land on you, which makes it incredibly difficult to get a good image — © Marie A. Rebelle

And, to top that all off, at the beginning of July, my husband said we were going to our favorite camera shop. He had one goal, and when we left, I was the proud owner of a much better macro lens, a Nikon 105mm.

Photos made with that lens will eventually make it here too!

If you’re thinking of joining Medium, click on my referral link to support me and other writers.

Find more of Marie on her lists, and here…

Those Long Drives From South Africa To Namibia

I left many footprints in Namibia during our family vacations

medium.com