Curlicue branch

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Curlicue branch

July 25, 2021 by Mike Powell

The dragonfly was high in the tree and almost completely silhouetted when I spotted it on Friday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Conditions did not seem optimal for capturing an image, but as I looked through the viewfinder of my camera, my eyes were attracted to the curlicue shape of the branch on which the dragonfly was perched. The branch, I realized, was actually the main subject of the image that I wanted to create.

I was far enough away that I could move about freely without fear of spooking the dragonfly, so I tried a number of different angles of view and shooting positions. As I later looked through the images on my computer, the placement of the sky and the clouds in the frame made me decide to feature this particular shot.

As for the dragonfly, I believe that it is a female Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans). Despite the shadowy silhouette created by shooting into the sun, there are just enough details for me for me to identify the dragonfly with a reasonable degree of certainty, though, as I noted earlier, my primary goal was to draw the viewer’s attention to the spiral shape of the curlicue branch.

Posted in Art, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 50D, Great Blue Skimmer, Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula vibrans, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 180mm, Woodbridge VA | 13 Comments

13 Responses

on July 25, 2021 at 7:14 am | Reply Steve Gingold

What wonderful serendipity, Mike. The skimmer has good taste in perches and you got a fine shot.
on July 25, 2021 at 7:56 am | Reply Suzette Benjamin

Oh this photo is sublime!!
- on July 26, 2021 at 7:56 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Suzette. The composition of the photo is quite simple, but I really like the “feel” of the photo.
  - on July 26, 2021 at 9:46 am Suzette Benjamin
    
    Yes, exactly! Thank you Mike🙏👍
on July 25, 2021 at 8:52 am | Reply Reed Andariese

Very Nice Mike! Especially like the curved branch it is on!
- on July 26, 2021 at 7:54 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Reed. Sometimes I like to get “artsy,” and don’t worry about getting really close to the subject as I usually try to do with a zoom or macro lens.
on July 25, 2021 at 9:05 am | Reply Louella Lester

Nice catch!
- on July 26, 2021 at 7:54 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Louella.
on July 25, 2021 at 9:08 am | Reply Dan Antion

That’s a cool photo!
- on July 26, 2021 at 7:53 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Dan.
on July 25, 2021 at 8:33 pm | Reply sv-anui.com

Great shape and the dragonfly adds to the beauty!
- on July 26, 2021 at 8:21 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Chris. I love trying to create “artsy” images sometimes and this shot definitely falls into that category.
on July 25, 2021 at 8:47 pm | Reply Ellen Jennings

Nicely done, Mike!