Silver-spotted Skipper Butterfly (Hesperia comma)

There appears to have been an abundance of Large, Small and Essex Skipper butterflies in my locality this year, so spotting this much rarer & equally diminutive Skipper in amongst them has been quite difficult.

But, what a wonderful problem to have.

You can see the silver spots on the hind wings which give this butterfly its name, in the photo and in this accompanying video:

comments (7)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

How are your videos so stable, Philip, if I may ask? Built-in stabilizer? Rig? Very stable hands? Posted 5 years ago, modified 5 years ago
1. Philip Booker
  
  Lion
  
  Hi Ferdy
  
  It's a combination of things
  
  I have a good steady hand which helps in calm conditions, but as you'll know. the closer you zoom into or get to a subject, the greater any slight movement will appear to be. Therefore, in some circumstances I use a small hand-held tripod, which assists in filming in some hard-to-reach, hard-to-balance or tired arms, circumstances.
  
  The camera I use, A Sony RX10 Mk4 (wonderfully flexible for wildlife) has very decent video Image Stabilisation, although not on 4K as yet.
  
  Finally, if all else fails, in editing I use Da Vinci's excellent free version of 'Resolve' which has effective image stabilisation, although you have to ensure you've framed your subject correctly, as it crops the video to achieve improved stabilisation.
  
  In some circumstances, you can use Da Vinci to achieve complete stillness. If I remember to think ahead I sometimes have that in mind when filming. For example, resisting the urge to fill the whole screen with my subject to allow for greater zoom and crop when editing.
  
  I'm still learning (pun intended) but these are just things I've learned through experimentation and making the inevitable mistakes. All part of the fun.
  
  I hope that helps.
  
  Posted 5 years ago, modified 5 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    It definitely helps, thanks so much. Didn't know software could aid in stabilization, that's interesting. Posted 5 years ago
  2. 1. Philip Booker
      
      Lion
      
      I don't think standard video editors are very effective?
      
      Da Vinci Resolve is a seriously powerful video-editor designed for professional use, but there are very few limitations on the free version. It takes a little getting used to, but I'm no expert, so if I can, anyone can. Posted 5 years ago
    2. 1. Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        I must admit I rarely do video. I personally suck as it, but also my camera very much is not optimized for it, it weighs a ton. Posted 5 years ago
      2. Philip Booker
        
        Lion
        
        Which is why I like the Sony so much. No additional lenses to haul around and no asking a butterfly if it would be so kind as to not move while said lenses are changed :-) Posted 5 years ago
        
        Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        One day I will scale down too. Until that day I will stubbornly carry half a store on my back, just because I can. Posted 5 years ago