Butterfly chase...

One of the most important lessons I'm learning is that, when you see something interesting, you can't just go off shooting willy-nilly! Check your camera settings first! A few weeks ago, I noticed a field of wildflowers on the way to PT, so I came back later with my camera. I started out with some wide angle shots in the shade, then spotted a butterfly and got so excited I chased him into the sun (shooting of course). My first shots were hopelessly overexposed. Below was my best attempt to salvage. I think it took 8 phases of editing to restore even this much color (can we say persistent?)...Sad I missed getting this right, 'cause he never sat still and opened up for me again. What a beauty tho'...even with his blown out highlights! (Wish I'd planned a shallower DOF too).
How much prettier he is when properly exposed...
And he was nice enough to fly into the frame when I shot the flowers...If only these were sharper (yeah...it's hard to avoid camera shake when you're chasing a butterfy!), but I LOVE the color!