What a difference the background makes when photographing a damselfly. This past Friday I saw lots of damselflies as I was exploring Riverbend Park in Great Falls, Virginia. My eyes were repeatedly drawn to one species that a dark abdomen (the “tail” part) and speckled green eyes and I was able to photograph these damselflies in a number of different settings. I usually have problems in identifying damselflies, so I posted the third image below to a Facebook forum and one of the experts there identified it as an immature male Powdered Dancer damselfly (Argia moesta).
Normally I prefer to photograph dragonflies and damselflies in a natural environment, but the first photo is definitely an exception. I love the juxtaposition of the rust and corrosion of the curved man-made metal with the lines and color of the damselfly (and the cool shadow was a real bonus). In the second shot, the damselfly is perched on the ground and the unevenness of the surface makes for an intriguing shadow. The setting in the final shot is the most “natural” and the image gives viewers the best overall view of this damselfly species, but it doesn’t grab me as much as the first image.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Benjamin and I agree that all three are fantastic photos. After careful examination, Benjamin chose the first one as the “bestest”, because “I can see his beautiful eyes!” Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
Thanks for the feedback. Benjamin and I are in agreement, though perhaps for slightly different reasons. The angle at which I shot it made the eyes stand out, because that is what I was trying to focus on. Because of my camera settings, though, that meant that the tip of the damselfly’s “tail” was not quite in focus. That’s the kind of compromise, though, that I am willing to make.
Nice series Mike!
I agree that there is something special about that first image with the perfect damselfly contrasting with the rough texture of the metal. I like the compositional elements in it too with the A line created by the damselfly and its shadow,
Wonderfully sharp images, Mike and I love those shadows. I agree with Laura about the metal and the composition in the first image. And the damselflies are quite attractive.
Laura is a wonderful artist and looks at my images with an artist’s eye. I especially love her insights because she looks at things a bit differently from those on us who are primarily photographers.