Natural History Museum Butterfly Pavilion

I took my family down to D.C today and we visited the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.   We basically went for two reasons, 1) to see the Butterfly Pavilion and 2) to see the Nature’s Best Photography 2009 Exhibit.  I was extremely impressed with both.

The Butterfly Pavilion is maybe 500 sq feet filled with plants, flowers and butterflies.  The butterflies are obviously very used to people strolling through and are not shy about posing for photographers.  Unfortunately, no tripods are allowed.  However, I was still able to come out with some pretty sharp images since the pavilion is very well lit and you are allowed to use flash.  If you go to the pavilion during the winter, be sure to make sure your camera and lens are nice and warm or have a lens cloth handy — the temperature and humidity in the pavilion will quickly condense on the front of your lens.

Natural history Museum Butterfly Pavilion

The Natures Best Photography 2009 exhibit was amazing.  This is the 2nd year we have visited the exhibit and I always come away inspired and humbled by the amazing talent and dedication that it took to create those images.  If you go, and I encourage you to go, be sure to check out the Youth Photographer of the Year winner, Alex Mody, from nearby Vienna Virginia.  His image of a Barred owl is amazing.

Natural history Museum Butterfly Pavilion

Natural history Museum Butterfly Pavilion

Natural history Museum Butterfly Pavilion

Natural history Museum Butterfly Pavilion

Natural history Museum Butterfly Pavilion

Natural history Museum Butterfly Pavilion

Natural History Museum Butterfly Pavilion

1st place in 2009 Claude Moore Park Photo Expo, Youth 12 and under category

We just found out this evening that my daughter Sarah’s picture of a Lotus blossom won 1st place in the Claude Moore Park 2009 Photo Expo for the Youth 12 and under category!  Needless to say, she was very excited and I was very proud of her.

I submitted two photos.   One for the “Roots & Buds” category and one for the “winged wonders.”  While they were selected to be shown in the expo, I didn’t win any ribbons.   Oh well.

The Photo Expo is this coming Saturday,  September 26th, from 10 am to 4 pm if you are interested in attending.  It’s a free event.

My two photos are shown below.

Lotus on Canvas by Tim Pennington

Gyro Falcon by Tim Pennington

I recently came across a small patch of beautiful lavender flowers.   Unfortunately the patch was too small for anything except perhaps a macro shot, which wasn’t in the cards with the wind conditions that day and the fact that I didn’t have my tripod with me.  I know, I should never leave home without it.

So, working with what I had, I decided try one of the “rule breaking” techniques I learned about from a talk Joseph Rossbach gave to our photo club recently.   Using a small aperture to create a long (1/4 of a second) shutter speed, I deliberately moved the camera while taking the image.  In this first picture, the motion was a rotation with a little zooming of the lens at the same time.  In the 2nd image, the motion was more of an arch shape.

Whether this work is up to individual taste.  Personally, I think this type of photography is really cool, perhaps just because it’s such a contrast to the normal  “keep things still” mindset.   I really like how the circular lines in the 1st image tend to draw your eye to the lavender flower at rotation center that is still in focus.

At the same time, these images are a challenge as they force both the viewer and photographer to consider shapes and lines more than the technical details of the shot.

What is your opinion?  Do these images work for you or are they just a waste of pixels?  I’d love to hear your comments.