Dramatic dragonflies

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Dramatic dragonflies

July 4, 2014 by Mike Powell

What adds drama to a photo? Sometimes it is the lighting of a scene or the positioning of a subject. These recent shots of Blue Dasher dragonflies (Pachydiplax longipennis) seem to have a bit more drama and are more “artsy” than many of my typical images.

Should I start wearing a beret now when I am shooting?

Posted in Art, Dragonflies, Humor, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Portraits, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Blue Dasher, Blue Dasher dragonfly, Canon 50D, drama, dramatic, Huntley Meadows Park, Pachydiplax longipennis, Tamron 180mm macro lens | 11 Comments

11 Responses

on July 4, 2014 at 9:46 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

I like them! It isn’t always easy to get a dark background like in those first two shots, but water can help sometimes.
- on July 4, 2014 at 10:30 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I have been experimenting a bit by using spot metering and sometimes using flash in the daylight. In some cases, like the first shot, I am not sure what I did to get the effect.
  - on July 4, 2014 at 1:14 pm waltersanford
    
    I can explain why the background turned out darker than the subject, Monsieur Powell. If you’re curious, then message me on Facebook.
on July 4, 2014 at 10:11 am | Reply Dan Antion

I love that top shot. Great colors!
on July 4, 2014 at 10:12 am | Reply lilmisspoutine

gorgeous 🙂
- on July 6, 2014 at 8:06 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, I have been photographing so many dragonflies recently and enjoy presenting them in different ways. I am glad you liked them.
on July 4, 2014 at 1:15 pm | Reply waltersanford

Photo 1 and 2 show a female; Photo 3, a male.
on July 5, 2014 at 1:00 am | Reply Mjollnir

Nifty shots Sir. Especially that first one with the dark background.
- on July 5, 2014 at 5:46 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. That’s my favorite of the bunch too.
on July 5, 2014 at 10:59 am | Reply Marco Pesaresi

Another stunning set posted here Mike, I’m running out of superlatives of late with your images, keep up the great work.
- on July 6, 2014 at 8:31 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Marco. As always, I appreciate your words of encouragement. During the winter, I am often in search of birds and keep a telephoto lens on the camera, but at this time of the year, insects dominate my shots and I love trying to capture them is all kinds of lighting and environments.