There were only a few water lilies in bloom at the small pond at a local garden that I visited this past weekend. Surprisingly, they were all pink in color and not the white ones that I am more used to seeing—perhaps it is late in the season for the white ones. Not surprisingly, there were quite a few dragonflies buzzing about and I decided that I wanted to get a shot of one of them perched on one of the water lilies.
So I waited and hoped and waited some more. My patience was eventually rewarded when a tiny male Eastern Amberwing dragonfly (Perithemis tenera) landed on a partially open water lily bud and perched momentarily.
I really like the image that I managed to capture because of the way it conveys a sense of the mood of the moment, a calm, almost zen-like feeling of tranquility. The colors are subdued and the composition is minimalist—there is a real beauty in simplicity.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Your patience prevailed in a big way, Mike!
The one petal opening on the lily bloom and that pink color make a very nice set up for the dragonfly, Mike! I like how the second bloom in the unfocused background fills out the frame, too.
Thanks, Ellen. I had tried to frame the composition in advance–I was sort of kneeling with my camera pretty low on a monopod–and then adjusted my angle slightly when the dragonfly finally landed. With wild creatures, as you well know, you can never be certain if they will cooperate, but sometimes I try to pre-visualize the shot that I want to get.
So pretty!! Glad that you had the patience to wait!
What a beautiful image. It just whispers serenity.
“Whispering serenity”–I love that poetic word combination that fits the image perfectly. Thanks, Laura.
That is a very nice shot Mike.
Outstanding detail. Love it!
Nice Mike! Waiting pays off!
The colors are just beautiful. Love this image!