In 2015 I went through a period where I was obsessed with photographing spiders and dragonflies. We have lots of these on the Texas coast making it a very target rich environment. The downside is the heat, humidity and mosquitoes! I very clearly remember sweating profusely while waiting for the dragonflies to return to a perch. Searching through my dragonfly images has me wanting to get back into macro photography again!
Feedback Requests
I would love to hear any general or specific comments about this image that would help me improve my photography.
Pertinent Technical Details
This image wasn’t cropped. I processed it in Topaz photo AI to remove noise and slightly sharpen it. I also removed a few distractions using Photoshop.
Canon 5D Mark III on tripod
Canon EF 180mm F3.5 lens
ISO 500, 180mm, F4.5, 1/800sec
Willm, the colors in this Blue Dasher’s face stand out very well in the overall darkness. This species is very common and quite tolerant of humans, so with patience, close approaches can happen. I like how strongly the head shows and the sense of spaciousness that your full frame provides. That long macro lens is perfect for dragonflies and other subjects that move. Take care of it because it seems that Canon is not going to release a similar tele macro for their mirrorless systems any time soon.
Willm: Ditto Mark’s comments on the long macro lens. I have a Minolta 200 that I bought over 20 years ago and it still works although like its aging owner some TLC is required. This is clearly a face only a mother could love. I would be tempted to crop this to a portrait 4x5. I don’t think the almost full wings add much and where they are cut off seems awkward. The detail on the face is great as is the OOF body color. >=))>
