When it comes to color theory, red and green are viewed as complementary colors, i.e. they are on the opposite sides of a color wheel. When used together, complementary colors provide a high contrast and high impact color combination—together, these colors will appear brighter and more prominent.
A week ago I was delighted to post a photo of a perched Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina) dragonfly, a species that is almost always in flight when I am fortunate to spot one. A few days later, I managed to get some even better photos of a perched Carolina Saddlebags during a visit to Occoquan Bay Regional Park.
The lighting was good and the background was far enough away that it became blurry. The complementary colors of the dragonfly and the background really make these images “pop.” The interesting poses of the dragonfly draw in the viewer as well—a breeze was blowing and the dragonfly struggled a bit to maintain its hold on the tip of the vegetation on which it was perched.
It is really cool when the elements of a photograph come together like this and I am able to capture the scene in a way that is both technically and artistically pleasing. It was a good day.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I found both these photos so incredibly fantastic, Mike. I clicked on them and studied each. The intricate design of the saddlebag, the dot of red close to the wingtip, and the delicate gossamer wings. That second one, with the sun shining through the wings, is truly exquisite.
Clicking on your photos to enlarge is like falling down the rabbit hole with Alice – such a magical world of detail and light and color is revealed!
Thanks so much. I deliberately post my photos at a higher resolution than necessary so that folks can go down the “rabbit hole,” as you so aptly described it. I love to capture as much detail as I can by using a telephoto or macro lens most of the time for my photography.
“Sun through the wings” takes highest prize!
Thanks, Molly. I love them all, but I admit to being biased. 🙂
Dazzling!