Barbara Hunley
October 2025 - Untitled
About the Image(s)
On September 22, I saw that my night blooming Cereus plant had a bud that was going to open that evening.
I waited until 2:00am until it was fully opened to take the picture. After taking some pictures, I saw a fluttering among the other plants and suddenly the Sphinx Moth appeared and began to pollenate the bloom!
In all the years I have been taking Cereus pictures in the middle of the night, never have I had the experience of the Sphinx Moth landing on a bloom. I shot the picture so fast and that was the only one I got before he flew away.
I had my Nikon D8i50 on a tripod with a Nikon flash directed up to bounce off a white 36” reflector.
My camera settings were f/9, 20sec, ISO 640
4 comments posted
Hi Barbara: Am glad you explained the situation that was happening before your eyes so we could understand and appreciate the significance. You may have photographed what I would consider as a 'Life Time' image as this exact situation may not happen again.
A couple of suggestions: I would darken down the green flower stem as it is out of focus and a little bright. In doing so it would not be so prominent in the picture and it would not call attention to itself.
Nice sharp detail on the white flower and moth, and good camera craftsmanship with the flash.
Also in this case with the black background of the main picture I would consider adding a thin white border to frame the image. Except for where the stem enters the picture area I cannot tell where your picture area ends against the black webpage of our circuit.
A special picture for your files and you were indeed fortunate to shoot this one frame before he left.
Posted: 10/15/2025 03:54:45
A couple of suggestions: I would darken down the green flower stem as it is out of focus and a little bright. In doing so it would not be so prominent in the picture and it would not call attention to itself.
Nice sharp detail on the white flower and moth, and good camera craftsmanship with the flash.
Also in this case with the black background of the main picture I would consider adding a thin white border to frame the image. Except for where the stem enters the picture area I cannot tell where your picture area ends against the black webpage of our circuit.
A special picture for your files and you were indeed fortunate to shoot this one frame before he left.
Posted: 10/15/2025 03:54:45
Hi Murphy! Yes, it was a once in a lifetime shot of the Sphinx Moth. I was so stunned to look down and see him land in the bloom so I quickly took the pictures hoping for the best. I think the flash scared him away.
Great suggestion on darkening the stem. I made that adjustment and like the result. I will probably add a thin white border too.
I am in the Member Showcase this month if you have not seen the pictures. Posted: 10/18/2025 23:00:06
Great suggestion on darkening the stem. I made that adjustment and like the result. I will probably add a thin white border too.
I am in the Member Showcase this month if you have not seen the pictures. Posted: 10/18/2025 23:00:06
Hi Barbara, I like the nice soft mood of your flower picture in the showcase this month. The background fits well.
Congratulations!! Posted: 10/23/2025 16:27:00
Congratulations!! Posted: 10/23/2025 16:27:00
Lots of things happened both fast and effectively to capture this image, and this is a credit to you as a photographer. Congratulations on capturing this rare moment. As I noted earlier, this image effectively captures the scene with sufficient detail and clarity to tell this interesting story. If one wanted to quibble, one might suggest hat the bloom and butterfly are not sufficiently separated to be clear, but to my eye this critique ignores the success in capturing the moment, and while true represents a less significant point. I do agree with Murphy's thoughts, as it appears you do as well. Great image ! Posted: 10/21/2025 19:29:32