Metisella willemi (Wallengren, 1857) and the use of flash...

So this is actually going to be a post with a little more information than the taxonomy and where the subject was taken, for a change. Here is that subject:

Captured in Chongwe, Lusaka, Zambia in February 2013, using Olympus E-420 DSLR with Zuiko 40-150mm lens and 3 KOOD magnifiers.

and here it is again:
 

Captured same place, same time, same camera but one less magnifier and one or two other key differences.

The key point here is that I like both of these images.

They were both captured, as a point of note, of a subject from the same population, five minutes and less than five metres apart, and in more-or-less the same pose.

They have been cropped differently, but aside from this, they are really quite similar. Consider here the original, uncropped and un-touched up images






and compare the edited versions:














The wings-open image was taken with partial on-camera flash (1/4 of full), and a very low ISO (100). This directly reflected flash reduced the three-dimensional appearance of the insect and gives it an unrealistic shadow, as well as a more generic atmosphere.

On a more positive note, it allows the animal to be seen in its full, vibrant colour, and, in the original, untouched up version, separates the animal from its background much more readily. This is the sort of image I might include in a handguide (and, in due course, plan to).



The wings-closed image was taken with a higher ISO and only natural light. In the original , this creates a lot of noise, and the later editing essentially put it back to the state it would have been with a lower ISO, turning the noisy areas to shade and darkness.

The higher ISO has no real positives, which is why its effects were edited out. Without flash, the environment is much less generic; the butterfly is sitting in patch of sunlight through a gap in fairly thick foliage. The angle of the light makes a difference - here, with a hundred or so degrees separating the light from the lens, the texture of the leaf upon which it has settled is exaggerated, with the fine hairs on the leaf lit up for all to see; the butterfly itself is put mostly into shadow, but highlights pick out the head and the top of the eyes.

All in all, the more dramatic lighting, although it obscures many crucial identification features, creates a more pleasing image, such as someone fond of insects might frame on the wall.


This is not to say that flash flattens images - off-camera flash is often used to exaggerate textures, and a diffuse natural light coming from the direction of the photographer can often create just as flat an image; and flash can - used properly - create the illusion of any natural lighting condition. But when one's flash is limited to the on-camera, for drama, you're best off sticking with natural light. 

Anyway, back on topic.

This lovely little butterfly is the Netted Sylph,

Metisella willemi

(Wallengren, 1857)

which is a member of the:

- Heteropterinae

- Hesperiidae         

See also Acada biseriata

- Hesperoidea          

- Rhopacera               

See also Anthocharis cardamines

- Bombycina                 

See also Laelia robusta 

- Cossina                          

See also Zebronia phenice and Crambus pascuella

- Ditrysia                             

- Heteroneura                        

- Neolepidoptera                      

- Glossata                                   

- Lepidoptera                               

- Amphiesmenoptera                      

- Panorpida                                       

See also Senaspis haemorrhoa, Helophilus pendulus, Episyrphus balteatus, Diasemopsis meigenii, Dolichotachina caudata, Megistocera filipes, Metadon inermis and Panorpa germanica.

- Endopterygota                                 

See also Melolontha melolontha, Malachius bipustulatus, Demetrias atricapillus, Otiorhynchus atroapterus, Cheilomenes lunata, Anthia fornasiini, Oedemera noobilis, Synagris proserpina, Vespula germanica, Astata tropicalis, Hagenomyia tristis and Andrena nigroaenea

- Eumetabola                                        

See also Pephricus, Anoplocnemis curvipes, Ranatra and Grypocoris stysi

- Neoptera                                                

See also Cyathosternum prehensile, Lobosceliana loboscelis, Stictogryllacris punctata, Sibylla and Humbe tenuicornis

- Manopterygota                                         

See also Pseudagrion hageni, Enallagma cyathigerum and Rhyothemis semihyalina

- Pterygota                                                      

- Dicondylia                                                       

- Insecta                                                               

- Hexapoda                                                             

 - Arthropoda                                                              

See also Ligia oceanica, Dicranopalpus ramosus, Enoplognatha ovata, Argiope bruennichi and Hyllus argyrotoxus

- Ecdysozoa                                                                  

- Protostomia                                                                   

- Nephrozoa                                                                        

See also Burhinus vermiculatus, Sterna hirundo, Ardea goliath, Chalcophaps indica, Thelotornis capensis, Trachylepis varia, Lygodactylus capensis, Hipposideros vittatus, Rana temporaria, Chiromantis xerampelina, Synchiropus splendidus and Troglodytes troglodytes

- Bilateralia                                                                            

- Eumetazoa                                                                             

- Animalia                                                                                    

- Eukaryota                                                                                      

You may note that two of the three butterflies featured thus far on this blog are skippers in the family Hesperiidae. You may also come to suspect that, of the butterflies, skippers are my favourites. Was I so biased as to have favourites, you would not be wrong; they are featured because a) they, with the Lycaenids, comprise the largest portion of the diverse Central African scrub butterfly fauna and b) they are in my opinion given less coverage than larger, more conspicuous species. 

And that's all, folks!