Female Blue Dasher dragonfly

Female Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis) on Sacred Lotus leaf

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

 

Blue Dasher dragonfly

Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis) on water lily bud

© Cindy Dyer. All rights reserved.

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.