Butterfly/insect collections to photograph

[Cg_Artist]

Hi, I'm a digital artist in the San Francisco Bay Area who needs photos of butterflies and insects for my 3d work. Is there a place where I could photograph butterflies and/or other types of insects, preferably without a glass case in front of them (I can't have reflections or glare)? Any and all recommendations and suggestions are welcome!

Thanks in advance.

[Commander]

Hi there,

Are you talking about photographing them live or dead in collections?

As you are in the Frisco area, the best person to ask would be our member who lives close to that area, Earlystages (or Keith Wolfe). Send him a Personal Message and he should be able to offer some suggestions.

[Cg_Artist]

Thanks for the response. I need to photograph them dead in collections since I need them as still and symmetrical as possible. I'll send Earlystages a PM. Really appreciate it.

[Commander]

You're most welcome! There are probably large collections in the museums of natural history all over the US. It's a matter of getting permission to get to their collection and asking them to remove the cover. If you know someone who have contacts in those museums, it would be much easier.

Good luck with your efforts to photograph them!

You could even show us your final artwork if you wanna bounce ideas off. This group here is a butterfly-crazy lot.