This is a shot from my camping trip last weekend. I’ve never camped somewhere that had the abundance of insects that this place did. Dragonflies of all kind were literally everywhere. This one stayed still just long enough for me to grab this.
All constructive feedback is welcome
ISO 125 219 mm f/5.6 1/400 sec
Nicely captured with the plane of focus on the dragonfly and a reasonably clean BG. Some BG cleanup would make it stand out even more. You might consider smoothing out the two bright areas near the bottom corners and removing the blade of grass at the bottom. If you have more canvas on top it would balance the composition a bit more, for me. The large diagonal blade of OOF grass is not the best feature and could be softened somewhat if you’re good at cloning. The more distant BG is very nicely mottled.
A Twelve-spotted Skimmer is a relative rarity in my area (NW of San Francisco).
Ahh yes! I agree! I was trying to avoid putting the dragonfly in the center but I can see how making the adjustment you suggest would eliminate distractions that draw your eye away from the subject. 
Nice look at this beautiful dragonfly, Leon. I agree with the advice that Diane provide. Still, this is a nice look, with wonderful details in him. Glad you had the chance to photograph dragonflies. I really like doing that too. Some are more skittish than others, and some will just sit there and let me get in close on mainly their eyes, which I think are fascinating. Looking forward to seeing more of your shots.
12 spotted skimmers are always a fun dragonfly to photograph. Overall, the distant features of the BG are nicely diffused and the subject is very sharp. The diagonal grass blade is fairly distracting but you might be able to get around this by cropping for a horizontal crop with the dragonfly filling out the frame. Rubber stamp out the bright leaf in the lower right hand corner and see how it looks. …Jim
Leon: Background issues aside this is a fine capture. One can’t choose where these guys hang out. The focus and arrangement in the frame of the DF is excellent. Well done. >=))>
