Common Blue Dasher dragonfly

Many of the dragonflies we saw today had ragged wings (this one had just a little bit of wear and tear). With macro shots, you have to make a decision what you want in focus most of the time, particularly with objects that aren’t relatively flat (for instance, if you shoot overhead on top of a daisy or parallel to a sunflower, you’re going to get a wide range of the image in perfect focus). In the case of this dragonfly, I focused on the body and the head. That meant the wings were going to be less in focus. Photography really is all about decisions like these and sharing your vision of the world.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Common Blue Dasher dragonfly

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Common Blue Dasher dragonflies

Ready yourself for an onslaught of Common Blue Dasher dragonfly shots (last week I inundated you with Slaty Skimmer dragonfly images from Kenilworth)…quick trip to McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Poolesville, MD with my friend Michael Powell (visit his nature photography blog here). We may have avoided morning traffic by leaving later, but we sure did endure some increasingly hot weather. We started at a different parking area than normal—this area had a large pond and a gazillion (no exaggeration) Common Blue dragonflies (Pachydiplax longipennis) perched on every stick I passed by! I like this image because it shows another dragonfly way out of focus in the background in stark contrast to the sharply-focused one in the foreground.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

And now for something completely different…

And now for something completely different—a “dragonfly tree” in silhouette! Common Blue Dasher dragonflies (Pachydiplax longipennis), photographed at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area in Poolesville, MD.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

The studio effect

With the sky full of clouds and very washed out during the heat of the day, doesn’t this look like I invited this Common Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis) into my studio for a portrait session against a white backdrop? Pretty awesome and unexpected effect!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Rudbeckia blooms

Rudbeckia blooms; photographed at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Jerusalem artichoke

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus); photographed at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Globe artichoke buds

Globe artichoke buds, photographed at Green Spring Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Blackberry lily

To give you a break from the onslaught of Slaty Skimmer images, I present to you Blackberry lily blooms (also known as Toad lily) photographed at Green Spring Gardens. Kudos to the horticulture staff for the juxtaposition of these bright orange flowers against the deep purple Smoke bush!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Rudbeckia blooms

I spent quite a bit of time photographing this variety of Rudbeckia at Green Spring Gardens this past Saturday morning. The light was so beautiful! I experimented with a variety of angles, compositions and creating extreme bokeh in order to best capture what I saw.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Slaty Skimmer dragonfly

Are you tired of Slaty Skimmers yet? (Yes? Well, too bad, cuz I shot an awful lot of them yesterday.)

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Monochromatic study, Slaty Skimmer dragonfly

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Slaty Skimmer dragonfly

It’s obvious I spent quite a bit of time stalking Slaty Skimmers at Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens yesterday afternoon! Several of these beauties kept coming back to this same bare branch and I stayed close by to capture various angles. It was a great opportunity to experiment with varying depth-of-field, exposures and compositions.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

One more Slaty Skimmer dragonfly…

One more Slaty Skimmer dragonfly shot…I usually like to diffuse the light when I can with my tri-grip diffuser (for more saturated color and even lighting on my subject), but sometimes the sunlight works in my favor. In this case, the sunlight illuminated my subject and my background…and the shallow depth of field renders the Sacred lotus leaves as glowing abstract shapes.

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Hoverfly on Rudbeckia bloom

Hoverfly (or Flower Fly) on a type of Rudbeckia (don’t know specific type); photographed at Green Spring Gardens. Flower flies are very tiny (usually about 1/4 inch from head to tip of tail), but this one was even tinier!

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Slaty Skimmer dragonfly

Slaty Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula incesta); photographed against a backdrop of sunlit Sacred lotus leaves; Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

Slaty Skimmer dragonfly

Slaty Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula incesta); males have blue/black bodies and black heads; photographed against a backdrop of sunlit Sacred lotus leaves; Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.