On a recent morning at the Patuxent Research Refuge, there were many of these freshly metamorphized (teneral) dragonflies in the reeds at a pond edge, hardening their wings and unwilling to fly. This female was in a spot where I could get hints of iridescence in its wings. I think that it’s a Sympetrum vicinum, which one book calls the Autumn Meadowhawk and a second book call the Yellow-legged Meadowhawk. This is a 6 shot stack to catch full wing details on this side. (5D3, 180 mm macro, 1/160 s, f/8, iso 800, tripod)
Amazing detail and spot on composition Mark. Truly wonderful image.
I agree with Linda, amazing detail and spot on composition, Mark. I also love the matching colors of the perch with the DF. You did an incredible job with the iridescent colors in the wings. The nice oof BG just makes the subject stand out so nicely. Very nice shot all the way around.
Hi Mark,
This is a very cool image. The wings in the BG go from sharp to OOF immediately, which is optically impossible to achieve, and that’s a result of stacking. My guess is that the dragonfly twitched before you could get additional images for the stack. But I do like what you achieved with these 6 images. I like the body, wing details, and lighting–it is impressive. For Sympetrum, females and teneral individuals cannot be reliably identified to species. Well done…Jim
Mark: You’ve really been on a roll lately and this is no exception. I like how the wings almost have a stained glass appearance. The perch is a great complementary element. Top notch shot. >=))>
Hi Mark, beautiful catch of the wings and fine sharpness throughout the body. An intriguing image.
Mark, Beautiful image with great details. stacking shows details in the wings. sharp throughout. Composition works well.