Right, week 1 of my photography “project”. To ease myself in, my partner and I decided to go to “Tropical World” in Leeds. This is an indoor zoo with aquaria, meerkats, and (most importantly) a butterfly house. “Great”, I thought, “fish [or butterflies…] in a barrel!” However, the butterfly house itself seemed only to contain half a dozen butterflies, and those that were there were coy. The result: a few bad shots of flowers, one butterfly, and a bridge.
[EDIT: One of my partner’s photos sneaked in to the gallery by mistake, so I’ve replaced it with one of my own!]
What I learned: I am trying to make sure that I take notes of what I learn on each outing, and this was an interesting experience of different lighting. I had a few butterflies flapping around, and some even perching, in the butterfly house but the easiest shot of the day was a small, insignificant fly outside the zoo. That was entirely due to the reasonably strong but diffuse lighting resulting from a cloudy day.
My plan for next weekend (weather permitting) is to attempt some sunrise/sunset shots. Sunrise is easiest for me topographically, and still reasonably easy to wake-up for (sunrise is still only 8.20am here). Any tips on sunrise/sunset shots would be appreciated!
Katatrepsis 
Your photos are beautiful. It’s a shame that there were so few butterflies in the Butterfly House as every time I’ve been, there have been loads. Maybe they were shy 🙂
I was surprised as well. Of course, most of my complaint is that the butterflies that were there wouldn’t sit still for me to photograph them!