Do you believe in unicorns? I spent part of yesterday chasing a flying unicorn, although in this case it was the Unicorn Clubtail dragonfly (Arigomphus villosipes), not the one that looks like a horse.
The Unicorn Clubtail is not a mythical creature, but I rarely see one—I am lucky if I manage to see a couple during an entire season of dragonfly watching. The u-shaped terminal appendage in the male Unicorn Clubtail is pretty distinctive and as soon as I saw this image on my computer screen, I knew that I had captured a unicorn.
When I first spotted this dragonfly, it was perched on a sandy area of the bank of a small stream. I mistakenly assumed that it was a Common Sanddragon, a somewhat similar species which is also part of the clubtail family (the members of this family have slim abdomens that end in an enlarged tip, i.e. the “clubtail”). When the dragonfly flew up into some vegetation that hung over the pond, I snapped off some photos as quickly as I could, because it is rare to get shots of these dragonflies with an unobstructed background.
One of my friends, Walter Sanford, a fellow photographer and blogger suggested to me earlier this spring that I use my Tamron 150-600mm lens, one that I use primarily for birds, to photograph dragonflies. I protested a bit, suggesting that I would not be able to capture the fine details of the dragonflies with the lens, which is reported to be a little soft at the long end.
There are some challenges, including the minimum focusing distance of 107.3 inches (2.7 m), which means I have to be a pretty good distance from my subject. However, shots like this one make me realize his advice was good—the extra reach helps me get shots that I might not be able to get otherwise, especially if I tried to move closer to take a shot with a shorter telephoto lens and risked spooking the dragonfly.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
That’s a fine shot with a lot of detail, and I love the background.
Thanks, Allen. A muddy stream is not normally a great background, but it sure worked well here.
Great detail and clarity in the wings – lace like! And great colour too Mike!
Thanks, Chris. Shooting small subjects handheld with a long telephoto lens is always a fun challenge. At least I wasn’t on a moving boat–I don’t know how you do it shooting while on the water.
I often cheat and go ashore😀
This guy looks like he’s playing quidditch😄
fantastic
Ah, vindication, sweet vindication! The excellent result was worth the wait. What took you so long to follow my advice, Mike? 😉
A really sharp photo there Mike! You made Walter’s day!
Thanks, Sue. When it comes to dragonflies, Walter is definitely more of an expert than I am. I’m willing to try any approach to get better shots. The only down side of using the big lens for dragonflies is lugging it with me as I walk about the park for hours on end–it can feel like I am dragging an anchor at time.
Gorgeous shot! I also think your friend gave you good advice – amazing to get this detail with such a long lens!
Thanks. One of the reasons for my initial reluctance was the fact that some reviews emphasize how soft the lens is at 600mm. Perhaps it is, compared to the $10k+ lenses, but I’m pretty impressed with the detail (under pretty optimal conditions).