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.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
That’s a fantastic shot, Mike. Great reflexes.
Thanks, Dan. For shots like that, stabilization techniques really matter, including things like paying attention to my breathing.
Great CloseUp Mike! It is fun to get that close to photograph them!!
Thanks, Reed. My 180mm macro lets me get really close without having to be right on top of my subject. 🙂
Very nice “in your face” shot, Mike. Great detail with those eye facets and whiskers. These guys always seem to be smiling about something.
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.
Every once in a while nature does get up close and personal. Nice capture Mike !
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.
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.
Great shot!
Thanks, Louella.
Wow these eyes are amazing!
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.