For today’s Monday color, we go back almost exactly five years (one day shy,) and over about eight or so kilometers, and turn mostly north, to the UNC Botanical Gardens and a butterfly, probably a silver-spotted skipper (Epargyreus clarus,) on an amaranth spike. This is the kind of image I consider a magazine cover: space at top and bottom for masthead and barcode, space along the left side for content teasers, and a simple, bold subject with good contrast concentrated towards the center. This is one of the reasons where the rule of thirds might lead one astray, since some uses require different compositions. The butterfly was turned flat to the camera for best focus, and even the light gave some shape to the eye rather than a featureless black blob. I’d love to take credit for meticulously setting this up, but it was a grab shot as the butterfly landed to feed nearby – I will take credit only for a quick reposition to frame everything better, and being able to approach cautiously enough not to spook it away. Well, that and cash – I’ll always take cash. Praise too. And I’ll never turn down good birch beer. I suppose there’s a lot of things I’ll take, come to think of it…
