This young male Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) let me get close enough to use my macro lens to good effect, but an intermittent light breeze caused him to sway back and forth, greatly increasing the challenge of getting sharp shots.
Halloween Pennants are spectacular dragonflies with their two-toned eyes and patterned wings. They almost always choose to perch at the very tip of flimsy branches and blades of grass and often do look like pennant blowing in the wind.
I included a shot of the entire body of this dragonfly to give you a full appreciation of its wildly wonderful wings.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Hanging on to the tips like that certainly increases the challenge. I admire your patience.
Thanks, Lyle. Decision-making is interesting in situations like this. Should I try to track the subject while it is moving or wait for it to stop, and risk the possibility that it will take off as soon as its launch platform is stationary? For what it’s worth, I’ve tried both methods with mixed results.
Fantastic shot! I’m curious; how far away did your 180 mm lens let you stand?
Thanks. The listed minimum focusing distance for the Tamron 180mm lens is 18.5 inches (47 centimeters) and I think I was just a bit farther away than that, probably about 2 feet away (61 cm).
Fantastic details for two feet away! My macro is only 85 mm so I’m constantly trying to sneak in a little closer to living subjects… need to work on my ‘getting up close’ skills!
I also shoot with a 100mm macro lens and would have needed to be even closer to the dragonfly to get this degree of magnification. With some insects, it is nice to be able to keep a little distance to keep from flying away.
I wholly agree! I’ll eventually have to consider stronger lens if I don’t want my subjects taking off before I’m even relatively close!
Great shots! Until I took up photography I never gave dragonflies that much notice. Now I am amazed at the diversity and beauty. God’s creativity and attention to detail in every aspect of his world is amazing.
Thanks. Shooting with a macro lens opened up me the world of diversity and beauty of which you spoke. God created an amazing world and the more I explore it, the more I realize how wonderful it is.
Amazing images, Mike. The texture and detail in the close ups is incredible.
Thanks, Laura. Seeing those details is what originally attracted me to macro photography and why I keep coming back to it. With dragonflies, I am especially amazed at all of the little hairs they seem to have.
Excellent shots, I have the same problem with the breeze, good thing we have patience.. 🙂
Thanks, Ed. Patience for me is always relative. Some days it seems like I have a whole lot more of it than on other days. 🙂
Great detail and colour in those wings, Mike. It’s really hard to get very close with insects that never sit still and choose flimsy bits of vegetation to land on, so I hear you!
Fantastic shots, Mike, of a beautiful subject. I’ve never had the good fortune of seeing a Halloween Pennant and with our total lack of dragons this year, it’s surely not going to happen now. I’m so happy that I will have your photographs to go back and look at. They truly are exquisite.
Thanks, Ginny. I usually I see Halloween Pennants only a couple of times a season, but this year I have already spotted them multiple times, thanks to spending more time in remote locations of my favorite park.
Great eyes!