It’s hard not to feel a little bit like a voyeur when I move in close to capture the details of an intimate encounter between two wild creatures. There is something especially intriguing about the acrobatic maneuvers of colorful mating dragonflies, like this pair of Autumn Meadowhawk dragonflies (Sympetrum vicinum) that I photographed in the “wheel” position at my local marshland park in late October.
Many times I have to assume equally acrobatic positions to capture the action. Fellow photographer and dragonfly enthusiast Walter Sanford photographed me in one such pose in an image that I included in a previous posting entitled “My view of the mating dragonflies.”
On this occasion, however, the dragonflies were much more accommodating and they perched at eye level on the top of some vegetation. The couple was back-lit, but a little fill flash helped to bring out the details and the colors.
In this case, at least, the brightly-colored dragonflies seemed to be exhibitionists and I felt less like a voyeur, though I must confess that I did not shield my eyes and turn away from the activity.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Perfect background for this shot. Very nice, Mike!
Nice shot. I think being able to twist yourself into pretzel shapes is part of being a nature photographer.
Thanks, Allen. I think you might be on to something. There just might be a market for an exercise DVD–flexibility and weigh training for aspiring wildlife photographers.
The wheel position, is there a secret dragonfly karma sutra that I don’t know about.
Lovely shot with beautiful composition.
Usually when they are hooked up, it’s either the wheel (in which the actual activity mating is taking place) or the tandem position in which they are not curled up like that but the male is still grasping the female by the head. Suffice it to say it’s complicated and difficult to explain (the male has secondary genitalia to which sperm must be transferred before the actual mating process). Yikes!
Reassuring to know that thousands of nature-lover voyeurs do the same thing, Mike!
The circle of life…Amazing photo.
Great photo
Thanks, Marie. I was fortunate to find myself in a place where the light was especially beautiful and the background was clear.