Photo of the Week, The Great Sphinx of the American Prairie

This June, I spent a couple of weeks leading a tour and scouting for a future one. Much of that time was spent in the Great Plains, more specifically Nebraska and Kansas. On one stretch in Kansas, we took a pit stop at a roadside rest area—not so much to photograph but more to stretch for a few minutes.

It didn't take long to see this small area filled with much more than tall prairie grass. It had an abundance of wildflowers and insect life. At first, I was soaking it in, but then I decided to grab my camera when I saw a beautiful butterfly, actually a few of them. I took a few frames, but it became my focus once I saw this sizeable magnificent moth. Only one was around, but it kept flying from flower to flower, occasionally stopping.

I didn't know until after we left but this wonderful specimen is called a white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata), also known as the "hummingbird moth" for how, at first glance, it looks and flies like one. This is not usually a subject I photograph, and I have never seen one like this in person, at least this close. With wingspans over 4", these are not your average insect. Not to mention very photogenic. I knew I had to work quickly if I wanted a decent photo.

Now the best choice lens wise in my bag would have been my 100mm f/2.8 macro. This is because it would have provided a shallower depth of field. Instead I chose the second best lens in my bag for the job because it gave me the reach I needed. The downside is that it's a long telephoto with variable aperture of f/4.5 to 5.6 and here shooting at the max of 400mm I ended up with f/5.6. That isn't ideal because it puts more in the background in focus than I would like. I could not get close enough with a 100mm lens and avoid scaring it off plus unless the moth only stopped by the flowers right next to the trail (it didn't) then I would have many missed opportunities. Not to mention the photos you see here still required ~30% crop to bring the subject closer and remove distractions.

I knew time went fast when I was taking these photos yet I truly thought it was more like 7 or 8 minutes before it flew away. Turns out it was only half that at ~4 minutes! This is why we have to think and act fast in these moments.

Below is the after and before of the photo that started this post. While a shallower depth of field might have been preferable the biggest distractions for me have to do with the light. The area around the moth is too bright and doesn't let it stand out as much as it should. Additionally, the really dark area in the lower left is too distracting. Basically, I need to lighten that up and bring down the exposure in the upper left side. I started with some adjustments in Lightroom including masking to change the exposure followed by fine tuning in Photoshop. Similar steps were needed for all three photos in the this post.

There are two reasons the above photo sticks out as my favorite from the bunch.

1. The Eye - The fact that the eye is in focus and can be clearly seen in the photo is a big deal.
2. The Tongue - Or mouth tube (scientifically called proboscis) is very long and helps them feed on nectar. Here it's not only visible but also retracted in nice spiral.

What do they look like before they become this pretty pattern covered moth? They are usually a large bright yellow caterpillar. If you see one you know it's only a matter of time before this is what it will look like next.

The person that would know WAY more than me on this topic is Robert Michael Pyle. As a lepidopterist (a person that studies butterflies and moths) he founded the Xerces Society over 50 years ago still having a positive impact on invertebrates and our environment today. We were very fortunate to have Robert write a thoughtful forward for our Photo Cascadia Washington Evergreen book released a couple years ago. There is even a fairly recent movie called The Dark Divide where actor David Cross plays Robert as he treks through the Gifford Pinchot wilderness on his first backpacking trip to discover new butterflies and moths for the movie watchers out there. When I watched it was a reminder how lack of experience and being ill-prepared for a solo long distance backpacking trip can lead to both comical and frightening situations.