Life in Motion

Butterflies

For this project, I could not decide what I wanted to use as a subject for my motion assignment.  I had some ideas, but wasn't sure if they would work out.  I wanted to photograph something that captured the season, whether it be the April showers that have been frequenting Russellville, blowing leaves that have recently budded on the trees, a twirling umbrella- I wasn't sure.  So one nice afternoon this April, I was out shooting still lifes of the spring flowers which were blooming all around.  The lush, new leaf greens provided a gorgeous backdrop for the velvety pink, yellow and purple flowers which blanketed the forest floor.  As  I captured the simple yet beautifully detailed texture of the velvet flowers, a male Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly flitted by, stopping to visit the flowers as well.  The gorgeous metallic blues, oranges, and whites pop against the green hues of the woodland undergrowth, drawing the eye to the focal point of the image.  The slight blur from the fast movement of the butterflies wings conveys a sense of motion, and though it is subtle, adds more dimension, movement, and interest to the subject.  It brings the image to life.  It shows new life of spring.  The sunspots in the background, created from the leaves reflecting the bright ambient light of the sunshine in mid-afternoon also add a fresh feeling to the image.  By using the rule of thirds and placing the butterfly in the upper left hand corner of the image, it creates interest through spacing.  The lines of the flowers, pointing down toward the butterfly, draw the eye toward the focal point.  Even though I wasn't looking and searching for the butterfly to come, it came right to me, stopping at the exact flowers I was photographing, and staying just long enough for me to capture the series of photos I wanted for this assignment. As I watched the butterfly flit away to another part of the woods, I realized that life is sometimes just like this photograph experience.  In life, we sometimes want to have a concrete plan, for each and every aspect of our lives, from the classes we will take, to the jobs we get to the people we marry, to the places we live.  We get ahead of God and instead of waiting for Him, we frantically run around, trying to make all these decisions, and make things happen on our own.  When sometimes all we really need to do is wait, and He will send a butterfly.