Getting Eye Level with Your Subject

 
Today was an office day, I made a couple prints and shipped them off, organized some files and started to think about offering some more workshops. In the late afternoon I went out to put the sprinklers on and the Tiger Swallow tails were flitting about the Joe Pye Weed again. So I got out my camera and made a few shots until it got too hot to shoot.

Looking at these images I was reminded that: often when I am working in the field with a student, I see them trying to capture a subject without getting eye to eye, whether that is low or high. In nature photography, the more direct eye contact you have with living subjects through the lens, the more impact your images will have. Focusing on the eyes is also very important when choosing depth of field. If you have to shoot wide open then it is important to get the eyes in focus. Today I was eye to eye with the butterflies.