Capturing flying subjects...seeking advise.

I camped out under a known favorite spot for this skimmer with the intent of trying to capture winged flight. 100mm macro at 1/2500sect f/4.5, ISO 400. Upon review I thought I underestimated the wing speed and should have shortened shutter speed even more. Then figured the shallow DOF was the culprit. Then I wondered how I'd tell the difference for future attempts....only got one shot. Welcome suggestions and c&c.

They are lovely captures.

I think the slight blur on the wings is a good thing, IMO. It suggests some movement. In this case with the twig being where it is the viewer may not realise the subject is in flight, and the apparent wing motion certainly made me look again.

Lovely shots- esp like #2.

The best dragonfly in flight shots I've seen have nearly always been taken with telephoto lenses rather than macro lenses.
Brian v.

Thanks for insights and advice, folks. Will try your approach V and see if I can catch him/her "on approach" with telephoto. One thing great about the dragonfly is they seem to return to same perch so they usually give more than one crack at it.

Dragonflies only beat their wings around 30fps so your shutter speed is fine, f4.5 is the culprit.

Thanks racket for sharing knowledge on dragonflies and resolving my uncertainty.