If you want a really lesson in patience, trying photographing dragonflies in flight. Yesterday I spent several hours trying to capture images of Prince Baskettail dragonflies (Epitheca princeps) as they conducted long, low patrols over a small pond at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetlands Refuge in Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
The Prince Baskettails didn’t always follow the same flight paths and their changes in flight direction often were unpredictable, but they kept coming back, giving me lots of chances to attempt to get shots. With some species you can wait for the flying dragonflies to take a break and perch for a moment or two, but Prince Baskettails have amazing stamina—I have never seen one stationary.
There are a number of different approaches to capturing in-flight images. Some folks like to pre-focus on a zone and wait until the dragonfly comes into that area. I like to acquire my target with my naked eye as it approaches and then track it through the camera’s viewfinder for as long as I can. The biggest problem is acquiring focus. My preferred lens for shooting dragonflies is my trusty Tamron 180mm macro lens. Its focal length lets me use it as both a telephoto and a macro lens, but it is somewhat slow in focusing, so I ended up with lots of blurry shots.
However, I was able to capture some shots that were in focus, including this image that shows the amazing eyes and beautiful markings of this spectacular dragonfly. It’s probably my imagination, but the dragonfly in the photo almost seemed to be glancing in my direction as it flew by and giving me a little smile.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
He does seem to be looking your way. Maybe it’s something like: “Did you get my wings? They’re my best feature.”
As usual, Dan, depth of field was a huge challenge. I was happy enough to get the eyes in focus and the patterned wings are visible, albeit not totally in focus.
I’m guessing your wrist is sore from focusing 🙂
Wow!
Great job!
Thanks. It’s an almost impossible shot to get, but luck and persistence paid off this time.
Good shot, Topper! 😉
Thanks, Walter.
That’s a fantastic shot! I’ve never tried it but I don’t imagine that it’s an easy shot to get.
I recommend trying to capture a dragonfly in flight. Some species hover over the water and they are generally the ones that are slightly easier to capture.
Great shot!
Thanks.