Dragonflies - Communal Thread

molly said:
There are amazing photos, how you got that photo of the Dragonfly behind the stem and still get the eyes in focus, any tips on how you did it.
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Hi Molly

I wish I could say to do this and it will work. For what it's worth I use spot AF and AI SERVO and shoot in bursts of three, which is all the flash can light before needing charging. I try and just miss the reed and hope for the best.
 
molly said:
I think I've got an Emperor here, very hard with a 400mm prime lens but I think I managed to see the little white eggs floating on the surface, or they were something else.
She was happy to settle for a while.
Head on by shirleyr2009, on Flickr

Round and round by shirleyr2009, on Flickr

Emperor by shirleyr2009, on Flickr
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Great set Molly. It is indeed an Emperor. I hope the white things were not eggs as that means they will not hatch. She is cutting into the stem and inserting eggs directly into the hole, so if they have come out then they will not survive.
 
Southern Hawker, just after emergence - Page 150 (Blue Hawker)

some really good shots on here now ....... I need to improve if I want to keep up

Southern_H.jpg
 
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Brachytron said:
Great set Molly. It is indeed an Emperor. I hope the white things were not eggs as that means they will not hatch. She is cutting into the stem and inserting eggs directly into the hole, so if they have come out then they will not survive.
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Thanks for the info', I didn't really know what the white things were just quessing. Its amazing how big she was.
 
Gaz J said:
Thanks Martin.

I will try some of these ideas the next time I'm out. Hadn't thought about auto ISO. It's only my second time trying for them in flight so it's a bit of a learning curve. But I love a challenge.

Thanks again
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....Hi Gaz! [It's Robin Procter from 'UK Dragonflies & Damselflies' Fb group]

Martin's tips are ace. I shoot inflighters on Auto ISO too and if you are shooting on M-mode too you can balance the Aperture and Shutter Speed accordingly.

Whether I use Autofocus or Manual Focus depends on circumstances such as contrast etc but if AF I have my 'star' back button customised to AI SERVO and my AF-ON button as ONE SHOT AF.

I use my Canon 100-400mm L II (on 7D2) and often find it's much easier to track the subject if zoom'd back to say 200mm. View too close and you can't find and follow so easily. But every single encounter is different! The trick is to be very patient and shoot dozens of pics just to grab one keeper. You also need Lady Luck by your side!

Knowing the typical behaviour of your quarry species greatly helps and starting off on hovering dragons gives you more chances of success. Once you have nailed one keeper after hundreds of failures which make you want to chuck your camera in the water, your confidence will soar. Your posted shot is very good indeed, Gaz - You are on the way!

This is one of my attempts.... Not the highest image quality but an evocative image in my opinion....

 
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These are posted elsewhere but should probably be here as well/instead!

Sorry, no IDs but they'll be welcome for interest.

All shot at Agia lake in Western Crete, using an X-T1 Fuji with a 100-400 + 1.4x telecon.


DSCF3428 by Nod on Talk Photography


DSCF3594 by Nod on Talk Photography


DSCF3601 by Nod on Talk Photography
 
Its amazing how intricate wings are, very delicate and beautiful.

Whilst looking for butterfles yesterday in a hay field came across a female Keeled Skimmer.
Keeled Skimmer.jpg
 
Nod said:
These are posted elsewhere but should probably be here as well/instead!

Sorry, no IDs but they'll be welcome for interest.

All shot at Agia lake in Western Crete, using an X-T1 Fuji with a 100-400 + 1.4x telecon.


DSCF3428 by Nod on Talk Photography


DSCF3594 by Nod on Talk Photography


DSCF3601 by Nod on Talk Photography
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Hi @Nod, the purple ones are Violet Dropwings. Not sure about the last one. Could be. Southern Skimmer.
 
Brachytron said:
Hi @Nod, the purple ones are Violet Dropwings. Not sure about the last one. Could be. Southern Skimmer.
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Thanks for that, Mark. I think the top and middle ones may be different species - the top one has dark spots on the front of the wings which are missing in the second. Could be male and female of the same species though. Pretty much all the examples on the second were perched on branches with their tails up at about 45° while the top ones usually settled on the ground and dropped their wings.

Should really get off my butt and seek out a few ID sites for Mediterranean insects!
 
This Dragonfly must have got entagled in the cobweb and then the spider gets to work tying the poor creature up, the snare tightens and then the final end.

The snare gets tighter.jpg The final stages.jpg
 
Jannyfox said:
Scarce chaser from RSPB Greylake. Something's had a munch on its wing, but it was the only one that sat still long enough to oblige me.

Scarce chaser by Jan, on Flickr
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Hi Jan, the damaged wing is more likely due to tussles with other males or close flying through marginal vegetation. This male has mated - you can see that the blue on the abdomen has been rubbed off by the female's legs.
 
mrgubby said:
Only a phone snap but could somebody ID this beauty for me please :)

dragon.jpg


100% crop, not to shabby for a phone :D

dragon_crop.jpg
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Hi Brian, it's an immature male Southern Hawker. When fully mature the spots will change colour to blue and green -a stunning insect.
 
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