Close encounter

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Close encounter

June 21, 2021 by Mike Powell

I had a really close encounter with this male Bar-winged Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula axilena) last Thursday while exploring a small pond in Prince William County, Virginia with fellow dragonfly enthusiast and blogger Walter Sanford. It is a challenge to handhold a macro shot when I am that close to a live subject, but the dragonfly was pretty cooperative and stayed put while I composed the shot. The colorful vegetation on which he was perched added some additional visual interest to the image without drawing attention away from the primary subject.

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Bar-winged Skimmer, Bar-winged Skimmer dragonfly, Canon 50D, Libellula axilena, Prince William County VA, Tamron 180mm, Walter Sanford | 13 Comments

13 Responses

on June 21, 2021 at 7:35 am | Reply Dan Antion

That’s a fantastic shot, Mike. Great reflexes.
- on June 21, 2021 at 10:21 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Dan. For shots like that, stabilization techniques really matter, including things like paying attention to my breathing.
on June 21, 2021 at 9:22 am | Reply Reed Andariese

Great CloseUp Mike! It is fun to get that close to photograph them!!
- on June 21, 2021 at 10:26 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Reed. My 180mm macro lets me get really close without having to be right on top of my subject. 🙂
on June 21, 2021 at 9:24 am | Reply Steve Gingold

Very nice “in your face” shot, Mike. Great detail with those eye facets and whiskers. These guys always seem to be smiling about something.
- on June 21, 2021 at 10:29 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Steve. I suspect that dragonflies have their own insider jokes. Shots like this are one of my biggest challenges for handholding. Certainly a tripod would have helped to steady me a bit better, but I might not have been able to place the legs of a tripod without disturbing the perch. So, I try to pay a lot of attention to my techniques and breathing when taking a shot like this one.
on June 21, 2021 at 9:44 am | Reply John Hric

Every once in a while nature does get up close and personal. Nice capture Mike !
- on June 21, 2021 at 10:16 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, John. My macro lens lens reveals to me details that I just can’t see with my naked eye. The beauty for me is often found in those details.
on June 21, 2021 at 12:23 pm | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

I love the way you’ve captured the sparkle in those garnet eyes. That eye colour is also supported and complemented by the colour of the stem it is balancing on and the surrounding green. Lovely shot.
on June 22, 2021 at 7:54 am | Reply Louella Lester

Great shot!
- on June 22, 2021 at 12:05 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Louella.
on June 22, 2021 at 5:33 pm | Reply sv-anui.com

Wow these eyes are amazing!
- on June 22, 2021 at 9:11 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  There is nothing like going eye-to-eye with a dragonfly, Chris, though I suspect that you have some similarly cool encounters with fish when you are underwater.