I had just arrived at a favorite Dragonfly pond when I saw these two. The tripod was still in its bag and I didn’t want to miss the opportunity so I hand held. It was frustrating to keep a focus point where I wanted it so I shot about a dozen, hoping for luck. I may have gone to manual focus and rocked back and forth – that would be my usual strategy. Then I set up the tripod, where I could have some control but they decided I had had my chance. Fortunately there were three different frames that covered the subject well enough. I love how they make a heart shape! And you can see what I assume what must be a drop of semen, or whatever it is called for a Damselfly.
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All comments welcome!
Technical Details
Is this a composite: Yes
Canon R5, 100-500 + 2X at 600mm (probably because I had just taken the camera out of the bag), f/14, 1/800 sec, ISO 1000. Minimal tonal adj’s in LR, then 3 layers in PS. Topaz Denoise on each layer first then hand masking for best focus. Then a lot of low-opacity cloning on a messy BG. Cropped from both sides from a horizontal.
Great Capture Diane and it was nice of them to pose for you that way. The soft background and color of it made a great setting for these 2. I am thinking of changing to a mirrorless but have not jumped in the water yet.
That is pretty marvelous. The blue just pops right off the screen. Great sharpness and detail given how tiny and slender these guys are. According to my field guide and the internets it’s probably a Enallagma carunculatum - Tule Bluet.
Wow! Perfect timing, Diane. And to get a heart shape! I’m glad you were able to capture this hand held. Nature doesn’t wait for us to have all of our gear just the way we want it, that’s for sure. The colors are very complimentary, and a very nice smooth background with sharp details in the subject. Excellent capture.
Diane, this is a great catch, with both damsel’s nicely sharp. Funny how the heart shape is called “the wheel” by the Entomologists. What you’re calling semen looks like a mite to me. The semen transfer takes place where the female has attached the tip of her abdomen to the second segment of the male’s abdomen (a bit left of the mite).
Diane: Great catch and good on you for getting such a good image hand held. I remember in the film days how reluctant I was to go for a high frame rate (probably a max of 4fps) because of the high ratio of stinkers to keepers. Now we get to shoot at 12fps in some instances and who cares about the stinkers. Technology is good although the extra time on the computer can be tedious. Top notch shot. >=))>
