On a 2002 trip to South Florida, I had the opportunity to take pictures at two of the country’s premier butterfly centers: Butterfly World in Coconut Creek and the Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. Butterfly World is filled with thousands of butterflies; the Key West conservatory has hundreds. Both centers offer nature photographers an opportunity to get dramatic close-up pictures of dozens of different species of butterflies.

During my trip, I saw many people photographing “flying flowers” — another name for butterflies. Some people were using one-time-use cameras, some were using point-and-shoot equipment and a few people were using pro gear.

Later I saw an announcement about a butterfly exhibit at New York’s American Museum of Natural History (a new exhibit opened Oct. 11). I packed up my gear and headed for the “Big Apple.” Again, many people were taking pictures of the magnificent and fragile insects.

For those who visit butterfly centers around the country, here are some tips on how to photograph butterflies. Photographing them is a challenge, indeed, but when you get a great shot, you’ll feel very much rewarded:

• Be patient.

Photographing a butterfly is not like photographing a flower. You need to be very patient and wait for the right moment. At butterfly centers, that moment can be when a butterfly is sipping nectar from a flower or resting on a leaf.

• Use a macro lens.

Zoom lenses with a macro setting really can’t get you close enough to a butterfly to get a full-frame picture. Macro lenses do let you get close. I use 50 mm and 100 mm macro lenses for most of my butterfly shots. When using a macro lens, set a small aperture (f/11 or f/22) for maximum depth-of-field.

• Light the subject.

Small apertures reduce the available light passing through your lens. You could use an in-camera flash to light your subject, but it would create a harsh, unflattering shadow next to or under it (depending on where the flash is on your camera). For soft and beautiful lighting, use a ring light — a device that looks like a ring and attaches to the front of a lens.