Dragonflies - Communal Thread

A shot which I have been wanting to achieve for some time but actually hadn't attempted it until a couple of days ago. My first efforts were on a Canon 5D Mark IV + 100-400mm L II but I unexpectedly had more success with my 7D Mark II + 500mm F/4L II, both on monopod.



Click on image to view on Flickr.
 
Jannyfox said:
Wow Robin. That's the sort of shot I dream about!
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....Thanks Jan! It's the sort of shot I have been dreaming about for a season or two. I saw the behaviour and potential and patiently stuck with it and Lady Luck joined me in my endeavours.
 
Brilliant Robin i'm 100%with Jan a stonker of an image ,nice to see your posts Robin,i've said this before but I loved your attitude as I came into this,really inspiring for me.cool to see where that attitude has taken you
it really is a stunning image well done you good sir!

stu
 
Thanks @PINNACLE :) I don't see dragonflies very often, and not seen this one before.

According to the book I have (Comprehensive Guide to Insects of Britain and Ireland, Paul Brock), Migrant Hawker females are usually brown with yellow or green markings, but there is a rarer, blue spotted form...
 
Want to help out our British dragonflies?
There’s a simple way to do just that. This week from the 15th to the 23rd of July the British Dragonfly Society is running a citizen science project called the Dragonfly Challenge https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/node/7284?dm_i=NXN,50HXD,OP7SCV,J58Q8,1. They are inviting people to choose one day this week to spend some time recording dragonfly species at your local wetland, pond or river, and to record the information on their spotter’s sheet. Not sure which species they are?


Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) by Martin Billard, on Flickr


Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) by Martin Billard, on Flickr
 
I saw a female Ruddy Darter hovering around a reed plant on the edge of a pond I visit a lot and she was egg laying for the next generation so I managed to get some pictures. You can see the eggs coming out at the back of her abdomen and then she flicks them at the reeds where I assume the stick, hatch out in time and make their way to the water below to spend 2 years being a ferocious predator!

Didn't get too many good shots as it was very overcast so the ISO was high with the high shutter speed and she was only about 2in long and moving quickly! But I was happy with what I got.

Ruddy Darter by Kevin Clark, on Flickr

4Y8A1433.jpg by Kevin Clark, on Flickr

4Y8A1081.jpg by Kevin Clark, on Flickr
 
Hey guys i can see so many beautiful dragonfly shots here.so i hoped someone might be able to help me out with some identification.the shot isnt very good but i just cant find it on google or any where.i dont really know anything about dragon flies:confused: but think they are great.
we have some really pretty ones here i hope to get some shots of them soon.
any ways this is the one.its body was a pale pastel blue.
FullSizeRender-3.jpg
 
I'm guessing that's not in the UK because I don't think we have anything with black wings like that over here.
 
KevC said:
I'm guessing that's not in the UK because I don't think we have anything with black wings like that over here.
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Hey kevC.no your right sorry my mistake i forgot to add the location.its in kenya.ive tried to search the net but cant find it.i found one that is called widow skimmer but it dosnt look exactly the same.ill try and get some better shots of it later maybe that might help.thanks for the reply:)(y)
 
Hey guys.i had a question.i had posted in this thread but now my post has dissapeard and i did not deleat it.has this ever happend to any one else?
 
lisamombasa said:
THanks(y)

Great shots.how do you even manage to get them when they are mid air???they are sooo fast:wideyed:
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Thanks

Dragonflies like Hawkers and Emperors usually patrol a patch so just watch for their movements, then try to pick a bit of pond/river with a decent background. I shoot in manual 1/1250 will slow the wings down plenty so start there, f8 will give you a reasonable DOF but try to keep your ISO within the limits of the noise your camera puts out. Manual focus as well. Focus on a bit of bank about the distance the dragon has been flying, 300mm is a good starting point as anything over gets more difficult to track 600mm is very hard and I then keep both eyes open. Dragonflies are very contrasty so easy to tell when in focus. I have shown a few people how to do it after they thought it was impossible and they got results after a short time trying. It is addictive though.
 
Thanks
PINNACLE said:
Thanks

Dragonflies like Hawkers and Emperors usually patrol a patch so just watch for their movements, then try to pick a bit of pond/river with a decent background. I shoot in manual 1/1250 will slow the wings down plenty so start there, f8 will give you a reasonable DOF but try to keep your ISO within the limits of the noise your camera puts out. Manual focus as well. Focus on a bit of bank about the distance the dragon has been flying, 300mm is a good starting point as anything over gets more difficult to track 600mm is very hard and I then keep both eyes open. Dragonflies are very contrasty so easy to tell when in focus. I have shown a few people how to do it after they thought it was impossible and they got results after a short time trying. It is addictive though.
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Thanks a ton for the great info:)
i will definately try this out.de longest lens ive got till now is 200mm but ill give it a shot(y).ive always paid more attention to the larger animals.but since ive joined talkphotography ive seen that the tiny gritters can be just as great:)
 
Dragonflies et al are not as easy as I thought they might be. Finally managed to get this one when its needed a breather. Absolutely could not catch it in flight.

Used my EF 70-300 II IS USM lens at ISO 250 and f/5.6. On reflection, a higher aperture would have been helpful. They have been cropped.
.dragonfly-3.jpgdragonfly-6.jpgdragonfly-15.jpgdragonfly-16.jpg
 
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