Most dragonflies choose perches high in the air, but this male Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) decided to land on a little plant just inches above the surface of the water at my local marsh, creating a photographic challenge for me.
Hanging over the edge of the boardwalk, I tried to get at eye level with the dragonfly and simultaneously sought an uncluttered background. In the first image, I was successful in shapes of the leafs, achieving a kind of three-dimensional effect. The water turned into an almost even gray, totally lacking in details. The second image gives you a better sense of the context, with the ghostly plants in the background.
The Blue Dasher dragonfly is the most common one that I see and it’s always a challenge to come up with creative new ways to show off its beauty. For this one day, I feel like I successfully met that challenge.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
I love the background in these. With plants I ususally don’t have much choice but it’s amazing how much the background can add to or detract from a photo.
Most of the time, I too don’t get too much choice about the background, so all I can try to do is control the depth of field. In this case, I managed to find a way to get the background to essentially disappear, which really draws attention to the subject.
Beautiful, Mike. I think that dragonflies’ eyes are among the most fascinating of all creatures. The real dragons surely had eyes as deep, colorful, and mesmerizing as these, though the insects’ compound eyes give us an extra dimension. I can’t wait to see what Peter Jackson has done with Smaug’s eyes!
First of all, lovely shots.
Second of all, I’m picturing you hanging off the boardwalk to get the right angle… “If I fall, save my camera, I’ll be fine!”
Interestingly I like the ghostly effect of the plants in the background. Great shots.
brillant!
Oooh, beautiful.
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