During the summer holidays, on a sunny morning in the French Alps, in the Vanoise National Park, I was walking when I saw a Mountain Apollo (a rare butterfly species native to the mountains) resting on a flower.
When I take a picture, I focus on the final result. I look for an interesting subject and pay close attention to the overall composition. I don’t concentrate only on the subject itself; I spend a lot of time thinking about how to capture the atmosphere I want to create.
In this meadow, I had a great view with the bokeh. I waited for the right moment, the sunrise, and the instant when the butterfly opened its wings - to create an image that looked almost like a flower, with a pretty, colorful bokeh. I wanted the subject and the background to be perfectly composed. I also aimed to give the photo a special mood.
Generally, I don’t do much post-processing at home because most of the work is done during the shoot. I believe that in photo competitions, it is better to rely on strong in-camera results rather than heavy editing. In Lightroom, I added a bit of contrast and light saturation. I adjusted the tones slightly, improving the blacks, and that’s all. I really enjoy starting with a well-composed frame from the beginning!
