Zebra longwings on Christmas night

Last night I went outside after dark to look for these butterflies. They rest on twigs and vines at night. Their zebra coloration actually works well to conceal them, as at night, they resemble dead leaves on wild grapevines from a short distance away.

I used my macro lens, a tripod, and a flashlight. This photo was taken with a 0.5 second exposure and ISO 6400. You can tell it was a high ISO setting because of the considerable graininess of this photo.

Zebra longwings and Giant swallowtails

Note: This post was written on October 2, but I've been having problems with Blogger so I haven't been able to post until now. 

Today I tried to take some photos of butterflies in flight. Some of the photos came out better than others but they are challenging to photograph. They don't stay in a place where they'll be in focus. I found that it was easiest to choose a high ISO setting, use manual focus, and a fast shutter speed, like 1/500 second. I also used the screen on the back of the camera, instead of the viewfinder. This first photo is one of the best I took today. The other photos depict a giant swallowtail that I found under a banyan tree.