I stopped by Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge yesterday and noticed that a changing of the guards has taken place. The last time I was there, Common Baskettail dragonflies (Epitheca cynosura) were patrolling the pond, but it looks like they have now been replaced by Prince Baskettail dragonflies (Epitheca princeps). The species are relatively easy to tell apart, because the Prince Baskettails have dark patterns on their wings, a feature that is visible even when they are flying.
In both cases, these are dragonflies that fly endlessly, moving back and forth in low patrols near the edges of the pond, never seeming to perch. The only way to capture an image of one is to photograph it in flight. If you watch one for long enough, though, you can start to detect patterns in the way that it flies. Each Prince Baskettail seems to have its own area of responsibility and often will turn around when it reaches its outermost boundaries.
So there is some predictability in the flight path of the dragonfly, but the dragonfly will instantaneously alter its path when it needs to chase off intruders or when the wind changes or for other reasons that I cannot understand or anticipate.
Here are a few of my more successful shots from yesterday—I had lots and lots of shots in which the dragonfly was out of focus or entirely missing from the frame. In some cases, a Prince Baskettail would fly relatively close to the shore and I was able to point my camera down at it, as in the first photo. Most of the time, though, I had to try to focus on the dragonfly at a greater distance and my camera was more level, as you can see in the second image and to a certain extent in the final photo.
I am often content to photograph dragonflies when they are perched, but from time to time it is good to push my skills and my patience by attempting shots like these. I remember my sense of amazement the first time I saw photos of dragonflies in flight and never imagined that I would eventually be able to capture similar images.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I texted my daughter to come out to the yard to photograph a toad (after I did, because sometimes I’m photographically selfish like that). She was looking in the wrong direction though; I started to address her lack of following my location directions when I got scolded for moving! She was honed in on a dragonfly! (I may or may not have been jealous as I had to remain a statue with an outdated cell phone and watch her zoom in with her fancy camera and equipment.) I thought of you. ❤
Thanks for thinking of me when you saw your daughter photographing a dragonfly. Gear helps when taking photos, but only to a certain degree. I occasionally envy the massive lenses of some of my fellow wildlife photographers (and know the big lenses cost between ten and twelve thousand dollars each) or their fancy newer cameras. Even with my outdated, less expensive photo gear, I am often able to take photos that match or surpass theirs. A significant amount of my joy comes from simply spotting beautiful things–getting a photo is a bonus.
You got some great in-flight captures for your efforts, Mike! Interesting observations on their patrolling patterns, and trying to figure out why they turn. I’ve come to think the “other reasons that I cannot understand” play a big role in the process on ones I have watched. Not to mention you can’t generally see the prey they are after.
Thanks, Ellen. I love to watch Swamp Darners and Common Green Darners flying through the air high overhead, snatching small insects as they move about.
Excellent Mike! Love the second shot with the lily pad, brilliant.
Thanks, Brian. The lily pad helped to give me something on which to prefocus my camera, so I had the approximate range for the flying dragonfly. I adjusted the focus manually as the dragonfly flew by. As you can imagine, my success rate was not very high, but I am happy that I did get some shots.
It worked very well Mike and also adds visual interest without being too sharp to over-power the dragonfly.
That was exactly my thought, Brian. My normal tendency it to try to get really close to my subject, but it is also great to provide the viewers with a sense of the environment.
Do you focus manually? I ask because you said that you try to focus rather than the camera doing it. One reason I don’t get as many odes shots is my reliance on a tripod which really requires a still subject. A few times I have been able to anticipate a perch but those times are rare. I have yet to go out with the 100-400 and 2.0TC to try handholding to capture dragonflies but soon.
That first shot looks nice and sharp.
Thanks, Steve. I actually do focus manually fairly often when photographing dragonflies, especially when they are flying. My Tamron 180mm lens is slow to focus and noisy and I can sometimes get quicker and better results when I focus manually. It does require me to use good stabilization techniques, because the lens has no built-in image stabilization (and the camera has no in-body stabilization). I have occasionally tried to shoot dragonflies in flight handheld with my Tamron 150-600mm lens, with a limited amount of success with a Fine-lined Emerald and a Shadow Darner. (Check out https://michaelqpowell.com/2017/09/19/fine-lined-emerald-dragonfly-in-flight/ and https://michaelqpowell.com/2015/09/22/shadow-darner/)
Love the shadow darners, Mike. Both have some nice detail and the color is lovely. I had seen that post before but enjoyed it again. 🙂
Thanks, Steve. It’s been a long time since I have seen Shadow Darners. I guess I need to add them to my list of ones for which to search.
I’ll try it soon. We are warming up nicely and I have seen a couple but did not get any shots.My 100-400 is a Tamron so the auto focus may be slow like yours. I have yet to try it.
I am not sure if it is a Tamron issue per se, or if has something to do with the 180mm macro length. I was reading a review recently of the Canon 180mm macro and the reviewer commented that “There are few (if any) Canon lenses that focus slower than this one.” What I have found is that manual focusing works best for me when I am using a non-zoom lens, so that I am not trying to zoom and manually focus at the same time. Several dragonfly photographers I know use the Canon 300mm F/4 lens that is lightweight, relatively quick to focus, and has image stabilization. See what works for you, Steve–your 100-400mm may prove to be perfect.
Lovely photos, Mike.
Thanks, Dan.
Your skill and experience shows in these shots, Mike. They’re fantastic!
Thanks, Eliza. The images are as much a result of my persistence as my skill–I seem to have more than the usual amount of patience for this kind of a challenge. 🙂
Such fantastic shots, Mike. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Tricia, for all of your support and encouragement.