A couple of weeks ago at a local dragonfly pond I had a chance for this guy. Blue Darners are more common here and I was happy to catch a Greenie. Unlike most dragonflies, they hover a lot, then tend to rocket off as soon as you get them in the frame, but once in a while I get lucky. It’s definitely a telephoto thing and if you aren’t pretty close on the focus you can’t even see them.
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments welcome!
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Canon R5, 100-500 + 2X at 1000, f/14 (wide open), 1/1000, ISO 2000. Tripod with Wimberley II gimbal head with slight drag set. Minimal tonal tweaks in LR, Topaz DeNoise in PS, then a touch of Sharpen. Cropped to 40% of the full frame.
This is really difficult to do. You’ve done a great job with detail body position and color. I had an orange Darner that kept returning to a chair about 10 feet from my position but it would never take a proper position was always facing away from me. When one is that close, depth of field is an issue. It takes a lot of practice to do this.
Wow this is amazing. I tried getting one the other day and fuggetaboudit. Not gonna happen. Too zippy. And the ones I saw didn’t seem to hover too long. Uncooperative bugs.
Thanks @David_Schoen and @Kris_Smith – I’m definitely channeling my inner Annie Oakley for these, and it’s surprising that with practice I can get pretty good at the initial aim.
Diane, you have accomplished what I hope to be able to do, but thus far, have come up short. They are difficult to capture in flight. I need to get more time out there trying, for sure. Something like this would take much patience and practice. Great shot.
Wow, this is an almost impossible shot. I find it difficult to get large raptors in the frame and in focus, much less something this diminutive. Really well done. I have never seen a dragonfly with folded legs. Looks like a Sikorsky s-76 helicopter in flight! Bravo!
Thanks guys! This is really easier than you might think – just takes some practice, both at aim and at getting pre-focus close enough you can see them. I’ve been catching them for a few years with a range of older bodies and lenses but the latest AF and a fast burst mode is a help. I’ll put up a few more tomorrow. For some reason the position of the legs always reminds me of the gesture in Rodin’s “The Thinker.”
