I try to pay a lot of attention to the background when I am trying to photography dragonflies. I would love it if I could capture images of colorful dragonflies perched in fields of equally colorful flowers, but that almost never happens. Most dragonflies don’t seem to like flowers and more often than not, my dragonfly shots look like the second photo below.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like that shot of a male Slaty Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula incesta) that I spotted on Monday during a short visit to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. The perch is mildly interesting with its shape and its visible thorn and the background is pleasantly blurred and undistracting. The details of the dragonfly are pretty sharp and in focus.
However, I think that the first shot, which I captured a little later that same day at the same location, has more of a “wow” factor. When I saw that dragonfly land, I made a quick calculation that I could get a shot of it with some goldenrod in the background. I maneuvered into place and framed the shot to match what I saw in my mind and I think it worked out really well.
Purple and yellow and complementary colors on the color wheel and provide some wonderful contrast in this image. The angled lines of the stems that cut across the image and the curves of the green leaves add some additional visual interest to the photo.
Often I am happy when I manage to get clear shots of my subjects, but in the back of my mind I am always searching for ways to make those shots more interesting. When I started to get serious about photography nine years ago, I had to think consciously about the settings of my camera, the rules of composition, and the need to steady myself and control my breathing. Most of that has now become instinctive, which frees me to focus more on creativity, on capturing ordinary beauty in extraordinary ways.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Very nice series of images Mike! Enjoyed seeing them!
Thanks, Reed. Slaty Skimmers are pretty common at this time in the year, so it is a fun challenge to try to get some different kinds of shots of them.
Hope to see a slaty skimmer in our yard. SO many dragonflies daily at our new location.
That is so cool to have dragonflies at your new location. I occasionally see one of two in my suburban townhouse neighborhood and they always bring a smile to my face.
We don’t have a front porch, so we use chairs in the garage as there is at least shade there. Bob was seated in the garage today between bouts of moving the sprinkler on the sod. He said a dragonfly came right up to his nose!
That first photo definitely has the “wow factor,” Mike. The colors and background add so much, as you anticipated. When I clicked on it, I found the spots on the Slaty Skimmer’s wing edges added something to the photo as well. Enjoyed your narrative too. Lovely post.
Thanks, Jet. It is fun to try to compose my photos in creative ways. A lot of folks think that a photographer does nothing more than capture “reality.” A shot like this reminds me that I have a lot of control over certain aspects of a photo and a slight change in my shooting angle or position can often add or subtract elements and improve the composition. In a sense, I get to create a customized “reality” that my viewers will see.
That first image is absolutely a winner, Mike! Your maneuvering to line up the Slaty Skimmer and the yellow paid off. I do like the second image also, the thorn and the composition with the twig give it some pizzazz.
Thanks. One of the reasons why I tend to avoid shooting with a tripod is that it inhibits me a bit and keeps me more rooted to a single spot or a single angle of view. Yes, I give up a little sharpness at times by handholding, but I gain a lot of freedom and flexibility in my shots.
What beautiful colours.