It’s tough to photograph a dragonfly in flight, but when it chooses to hover, there is a slightly better chance of getting a shot. That was the case recently when I encountered this female Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula vibrans) that was in the process of depositing her eggs in the water. As her mate circled overhead, the female dragonfly would hover over the water and then periodically dip the tip of her tail in the water before returning to the hovering position. I was able to get several images of the hovering dragonfly, but got only a single image of her depositing the eggs.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I love the reflections in the water. Great shots.
Thanks, Dan. The shadowy reflection definitely add some real visual interest to the shots. When shooting, i didn’t notice them, but was pleasantly surprised when I opened the images on my computer.
Great – admire your observation and macro skills which show the colours of the insect
Thanks, Diana. I too love the way that macro shots open up the world and let us see details that we often ignore or simply don’t see.
Great series and I know exactly what you mean about it being tough.
Thanks, Victor. Your images and narratives show me that you definitely understand the challenges of overcoming challenges to get difficult shots.
Beautiful creature:)
Spectacular shots, Mike! I know how tough it is to get the focus and exposure right on those guys, especially when they’re floating in the air like that. Well done!
Thanks, Joe. The dragonfly hung around long enough and made several passes, so I had a number of chances to get the shots. Because I was shooting with a prime lens (my 180mm macro), I had to get relatively close to the hovering dragonfly (zooming closer was not an option).
Truly impressive. I have to say, I have never even tried to photograph a flying dragonfly. I’m pretty sure they would all turn out fuzzy from lack of focus. So kudos to you!!
Don’t worry, Sue, I have lots of fuzzy images too. It’s tough to get the camera to focus on such a small moving subject, even in servo (continuous focus) mode. Heck, it’s difficult even to keep the dragonfly in the viewfinder. Sometimes, though, persistence pays off.
Good for you to get those really tough shots. To badly paraphrase the line from Karate Kid, if you can do that, you can do anything. I never did catch them.
I love that movie, though I have never tried to catch a fly with chopsticks. Moving subjects are always a challenge. Luck plays a huge role, but having the camera on appropriate settings and reacting quickly helps too.
I’m amazed that you could even see it, much less photograph it. I love the colors in this one, especially of the water.
Thanks, Allen. The water was unusual in this situation. It was fairly shallow and muddy and the hovering dragonfly cast something that was almost a combination of a shadow and a reflection.
Pure perfection! 🙂
Thanks, Ed. It’s always fun to find something new to photograph.
Absolutely marvelous post with really great photos to support your information.
Thanks, Charile, for all of your encouraging words.
Very impressive Mike, not easy to do at all but you’ve nailed it with these, excellent work indeed.
Thanks, Marco. Knowing how to get shots like this is only half the battle for me. Persistence and luck play a huge role and even then it requires a lot of shots.