In an ideal world, I would be able to photograph a dragonfly up close and from multiple angles. My close-up shots of a Gray Petaltail dragonfly in yesterday’s posting were the result of almost perfect circumstances. Real life, alas, is rarely that perfect. My entire life, it seems, I have heard the words of the Rolling Stones, reminding me that “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find you get what you need.”
Last week I spent almost an entire day with fellow dragonfly enthusiast and blogger Walter Sanford searching for dragonflies in a variety of habitats. It was a long, grueling effort, conducted often in the hot direct sunlight and sometime involving wading through waist-high vegetation. Walter and I have worked together often enough over the years that we have developed some routines. Most of the time we try to stay in sight of each other, so if one of us spooks a dragonfly, the other has a chance of being able to track it to its next perch.
Towards the end of day, we had wandered a little farther apart than usual when I heard Walter tell me emphatically to stop—he had spotted a dragonfly. I was in an awkward position when I stopped and I could barely see the dragonfly through the lens of the camera. It was hanging vertically from a thin stalk of vegetation that was swaying vigorously back and forth in a breeze that had suddenly kicked up. My heart started to beat a bit faster when Walter told me that it looked to be a male Arrowhead Spiketail dragonfly (Cordulegaster obliqua), an uncommon species that I have seen only a few times.
So there I was, frozen in place far from my subject, trying desperately to focus manually on my moving subject that I knew might take off at any moment. I tried to pay attention to the background as I composed my shots, bending my body and flexing my knees to get some minor variations in my angle of view. What you see below are three of those variations. I like the way that they captured the Arrowhead Spiketail in the environment in which we found it—I may not have gotten what I wanted, but perhaps I got what I needed, i.e. I got some decent shots of my subject.
Walter observed this dragonfly from an entirely different angle of view and, as always, approaches things from a different perspective. I encourage you to check out his blog posting today “Arrowhead Spiketail dragonfly (male)” to see his photos and to read about his reactions to seeing this uncommon dragonfly in an environment that was not “according to the book.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
You did really well, Mike. That first photo is stunning.
Thanks, Dan. I know that it is good to try different approaches to my photography, but I get so comfortable with doing things in the usual ways that I often change things up only when I am forced to do so. There is only a fine line, it seems, between a comfort zone and a rut. 🙂
I think you’re right, Mike. In this time of isolation, it’s hard to avoid slipping off to the rut side.
I agree completely, Dan. When the whole world seems to be tipped upside down, you hold on to whatever you can.
Always impressed with the style and skill you bring to small ‘critter’ work. Very nice !!
Thanks, Ted. I usually save the “big critters” for the colder months when I have a greater chance of spotting them. For me the change of the seasons is marked by switching from using my 180mm macro most of the time to using my 150-600mm zoom most often.
Speaking of which, I meant to ask you about the Tamron Tap-In Console for the 150-600mm lens. I understand that Sigma has a similar docking device that allows you to fine tune the lens and download firmware. This is all new to me. Do you use the Tap console, and is it a necessary purchase? I’ve seen reviews that said the Tamron was tuned right out of the box while others said they had to return the lens, or connect it to the console. As a Canon owner, I don’t understand any of this.
I have the original version of the Tamron 150-600mm which is not compatible with the Tap-in Console ( the newer G2 version of the lens is compatible). Some folks complain that the focusing on the lenses are off, a problem that I have never encountered. In theory, it is good to have a device that lets you micro adjust the lens rather than have to send it back to the factory for adjustment. The good thing too is that the console is only $59 and you can use it with a number of the newer Tamron lenses.
Very Nice Mike! Never saw one of these in the field!
Normally you are supposed to find this species along forest rivulets that are small, seepy, and silty, which means they are hard to locate. None of the Arrowhead Spiketails that I have seen, however, have been in that particular type of habitat, but instead they were in nearby more open areas.
Congratulations. What a find!
How wonderful you achieved great shots despite the conditions Mike!
Thanks, Liz. I suspect that if I were a studio photographer, I might think differently and could adjust my subject and the lighting to get an optimal shot. As a nature/wildlife photographer, I am subject to the whims of weather, environments, and subjects that I cannot control. I just try to do my best with what I am given and it sometimes works out quite well.
“whims of weather” sounds very poetic, I like that!
It turns out that I am a fan of alliteration, as is our Damien.
Back to the discussion about common names–Arrowhead is so perfectly appropriate for the markings on this one’s dorsal abdomen. Lovely shots!
Thanks, Gary. Those arrowhead markings make it relatively easy to distinguish this species from some similar ones, especially when you find it in an environment that is not typical–apparently not all dragonflies read the books about where they are “supposed” to be found. 🙂
I love that your heart beat faster! 😍📷 It made mine, too, being in that familiar moment with you. ❤️
As you know, Laura, there is a really fine line between being energized when you have a subject in front of you and being immobilized by fear that you won’t be able to get a shot before the subject flies or runs away. For me, countless hours of practice really help me to prepare me to push through the excitement and anxiety to take the shot. It is never foolproof, of course, and I am sure that we all have stories of the “one that got away.”
Dragonflies for me are the ones that usually get away! I have one satisfying and personally meaningful one, though. Oh, and those red-headed woodpecker rascals! 😄
Oh yes, also…a beautiful shot and gorgeous dragonfly! 🙂