I know that damselflies come in many colors, but my brain wanted to cramp up when I was told that this stunning orange damselfly was a bluet. An orange bluet? Aren’t bluets blue?
Apparently that is not always the case, and this little beauty is in fact a male Orange Bluet damselfly (Enallagma signatum). This shot looks like it was done with flash, but I double checked the EXIF data and confirmed that it was simply an effect caused simply by using exposure compensation and metering carefully on the subject. Normally, I am not a big fan of a black background, which can be caused when the light from the flash overpowers the ambient light, but I think that it works well in this shot, which looks almost like it was shot in a studio.
In the second shot, the brown color of the muddy water shows through in a way that is a little more natural. I took this shot when the damselfly was farther away than in the first shot and I like the way that it shows a bit more of the environment than in the first image.
One of the advantages of shooting in bright light and on a tripod was that I was able to shoot at ISO 100 and at f/11, which gave me images that were a lot cleaner than I often get.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I like the spider web in the first shot. I had to zoom in to see the detail but it’s quite clear. Nice work, as always.
I understand your confused about its name, but it happenes many times that insects and even birds have misleading names.
I like the first photo most, it’s much sharper then the other.
Names are confusing, but sometimes fun too.
Some times the black background is good, it forces the eyes to concentrate on the subject and not on everything else that’s going on. I believe it is also a trick of stagehands when a slow song comes on 😀 The trick is not to overdo it 🙂 I think the first photo is a slow song and is to be savored.
When I was growing up, that might have been “Nights in White Satin” or “Stairway to Heaven”–slow songs to be savored when at dances.
The spectrum of colors represented by the insect (and, for that matter, avian) world(s) seems boundless. Why not a blue oranget? Come to think of it, why are most Yellow Taxis orange, rather than yellow? Oh, no, strange dreams again tonight, I fear…
Only a brave soul attempts to capture these fast little buggers. Great finds!
Very nice, Mike. Using a tripod is useful, but so hard to carry in the field when shooting insects. Kudos to you!
Gorgeous! 😀
I like a dark background occasionally and this one works well to set of the great colors of the damselfly.
Lovely and well captured
Thanks, Marie. The closer I look, the more I seem to discover amazing beauty.