What is the most common dragonfly that you see in the summer? One of the most frequently seen dragonflies where I live is the Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis). As some of you know, I have long had a “thing” for Blue Dashers and my very first posting on this blog over nine years ago featured a Blue Dasher.
Blue Dasher dragonflies can be quite striking in appearance, especially when they choose photogenic perches. This past Saturday I visited Kenilworth Aquatic Park and Gardens in Washington D.C. with some friends and noted that there were lots of Blue Dashers buzzing about amidst the lotuses and water lilies. One of my goals for the day was to photograph these cool little dragonflies in as interesting a way as I could.
Dragonfly photographers and bird photographers often have a common problem—their subjects like to perch on bare branches and there is only so much they can do to make the photos interesting. I tried hard to capture images of Blue Dashers when they perched, often momentarily, in an unusual spot. In these three images, I think the vegetation and backgrounds add visual interest to the shots without taking attention away from the primary subject.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Again, absolutely amazing.
Oh wow! The first photo is stunning.
Beautiful.
The second shot is a winner!
Thanks, Brian. That second one happens to be my favorite too. I led with another image only because WordPress handles photos better in the Reader that are in landscape format than those that are in portrait format or square format like the second shot that you liked.
Great portraits! Each of them has caught that bright blue sparkle of the dragonfly’s body. I especially love that second shot. The way that piece of foliage creates a sinuous line through the composition really works well and the fact it is a broader element at the bottom of the frame grounds the image and, of course, you captured so much pin sharp detail on the actual dragonfly.
Thanks, Laura. Usually I lead a posting with my favorite image, but I don’t like the way that the WordPress reader handles square images like the second one, which happens to be my favorite of the three. The shape of the vegetation is really unusual and helps the image to really stand out.
All three are nice of the scene and the Blue Dasher, Mike, and I’d say you met your goal. And I’d agree with other commentators that #2 is my favorite.
Thanks, Ellen, for your kind words. I think there is a pretty good consensus that image #2 is the favorite, though I must confess that I am pretty happy with all three of them.
As you should be!
Very Nice Mike! I especially like the 2nd one!! Very Cool Image!