Spangled Skimmer dragonfly in July

July 15, 2015 by Mike Powell

Do you find yourself shooting the same subjects over and over? I often take repeated pictures of familiar subjects, knowing that the weather, the lighting conditions, the environment, and the subject’s pose will be different each time. Although I try to control the exposure, the framing, and the angle of view, I am sometimes pleasantly surprised at the results.

I don’t see Spangled Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula cyanea) very often, so I was happy to spot this beautiful male last week. The markings on the wings are so distinctive that it is pretty easy to identify a member of this species when I do come upon one. (The second shot gives a really good view of those markings.)

I like the way that the background turned out in these shots and I have captured pretty detailed images of a Spangled Skimmer. I am confident, though, that I will be snapping away again if I stumble across another one. Who knows what kind of a photo I might be able to capture the next time?

Posted in Dragonflies, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, Libellula cyanea, Spangled Skimmer, Spangled Skimmer dragonfly, Tamron 150-600mm telephoto | 18 Comments

18 Responses

on July 15, 2015 at 5:51 am | Reply itsmeludo

Hi! I love reading your posts, I’m new to WP do you think you could check out my blog and leave a comment. I’d love some help from someone more experienced as you! Keep it up!
- on July 15, 2015 at 6:05 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  You’re off to a great start with your blog. Your writing and your drawings are a lot of fun. Best wishes in the future as you develop the blog.
  - on July 15, 2015 at 7:49 am itsmeludo
    
    Thank you Mike! 🙂
on July 15, 2015 at 6:35 am | Reply thegatvolblogger

Wow awesome, crisp pictures. Do you ever edit the pictures you shoot?
- on July 15, 2015 at 6:47 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I shoot in RAW, so I always have to do a little tweaking for contrast, sharpness, saturation, and such and I also will crop some. I currently do most editing in Photoshop Elements and like to be pretty minimalist in my edits.
  - on July 15, 2015 at 7:06 am thegatvolblogger
    
    Thanks for the feedback. The insight is very helpful. Occasionally, I shoot in RAW because I have limited access to facilities I can edit in RAW. Hopefully, when I have more access, I will shoot more and more in RAW.
  - on July 15, 2015 at 7:40 am Mike Powell
    
    I’d suggest that you keep shooting as often as you can. The more you become familiar with your camera gear, no matter what it happens to be, the better your shots will become. As you become more and more comfortable, you can make separate adjustments to the settings of the camera to get the kind of images you want. Most of the time I use aperture-preferred mode–I set the aperture and the camera chooses the shutter speed. If the chosen shutter speed is too slow, I’ll then adjust the aperture and/or the ISO setting. By controlling the aperture, I can often get the kind of out-of-focus backgrounds that I like.
on July 15, 2015 at 7:43 am | Reply svtakeiteasy

Stunning, Mike. Such delicate colours in the body and beautiful patterns in the wings.
on July 15, 2015 at 9:41 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

I don’t think I’ve seen this one. Beautiful body color and the background is perfect.
on July 15, 2015 at 11:11 am | Reply Ben Rowe Aperturef64

I do find myself shooting similar subjects in different seasons but then again it is great to get better shots each time and learning from what came before. Great dragonfly I really like the closer version more.
on July 15, 2015 at 11:51 am | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

Well I almost always photograph the same subjects since I use my (somewhat limited) photography skills to record family life. I don’t see any harm in doing so – especially if, as in your case, it allows you to hone your skills and build a bank of knowledge.
on July 15, 2015 at 1:45 pm | Reply waltersanford

Which lens did you use, Mike — “The Grinder” or “Bazooka Joe?”
- on July 15, 2015 at 5:19 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Bazooka Joe at about 500mm.
  - on July 15, 2015 at 8:19 pm waltersanford
    
    “BJ” seems to work well for shooting dragons, that is, in the hands of a skilled photographer!
on July 15, 2015 at 6:51 pm | Reply krikitarts

Love the intricate patterns in the veins of the wings, particularly the posterior wings. The graceful curves are a bit reminiscent of the phalanges in a bat’s wings.
- on July 15, 2015 at 6:57 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Gary. Two of the major things that I love about dragonflies most are their compound eyes ad their amazing wings.
on July 25, 2015 at 5:01 pm | Reply Sue

You have some wonderful “bokeh” in your shots here, Mike. What a great idea to keep moving around until you get just the right background.
- on July 25, 2015 at 6:14 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  That approach only works with a cooperative subject, but when I have the chance, it’s nice to be able to work the subject from different angles.