I do not tilt at windmills, but often find myself engaged in my personal quixotic quest of trying to photograph dragonflies in flight. It is such a challenging task that I titled a video that I posted on YouTube, “Impossible Shots? Dragonflies in flight.” Despite the almost overwhelming odds of getting a good shot of one of these aerial acrobats in flight, I feel irresistibly drawn to trying over and over again whenever I see a dragonfly in the air.
I spotted this Black Saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata) patrolling over the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge last Thursday and was thrilled to capture this shot of the dragonfly as it flew past me.Black Saddlebags dragonfly (Tramea lacerata). I love the way that you can see how the dragonfly had enhanced its aerodynamic profile by folding up its legs under its thorax, a bit like the way aircraft retract their landing gear after taking off.
In case you are curious, Black Saddlebags are only about 2 inches (52 mm) in length, so I have to be paying attention in order to even spot one. After years of pursuing my quest, though, my eyes are now calibrated to recognize the shape of a dragonfly pretty quickly and my hand-to-eye coordination has improved with practice, so that I am able to track these a lot better than when I started.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 