Dragonfly in Flight

Not the sharpest shots but not too bad ... dragonflies would be much better if they flew slowly and in straight lines !!

Canon 50D. 300mm L+ 1.4 converter. f5.6; 1/800; ISO 400. Handheld.

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Not bad at all.

looks great to me! I can't see them that well with my eyeballs!

Wow. Very nice shots. I've been shooting dragons for 3 years now and those are very good - particularly the first one because the head is so well in focus. The second shows the body very well but the head isn't as well in focus.

That's a pretty one...nice catch!

Awesome shots

FPP wrote in post #8678605
Wow. Very nice shots. I've been shooting dragons for 3 years now and those are very good - particularly the first one because the head is so well in focus. The second shows the body very well but the head isn't as well in focus.

The wing looks to be blocking the head to me.

Nice! Would you mind sharing how you were able to capture these? I'm not into macro but I always like to hear about other techniques.

Thanks for the comments folks. Much appreciated.

DavidTK wrote in post #8681460
Would you mind sharing how you were able to capture these? I'm not into macro but I always like to hear about other techniques.

David ... much as I'd like to claim some special technique the truth is a bit more ordinary. Firstly it was based on observation of the habitat. This was two medium sized ponds about ten yards apart. Two dragonflies of the same species had a territory, one on each pond. At the ends of the ponds there was a small area of apparently disputed territory. So ... observation 1 ... both dragonflies spent much more time patrolling this section than other parts of the ponds so a clear shot was more likely. Secondly although the dragonfly's flight path was erratic there is a sort of pattern to it and in certain places ... observation 2 ... there was a tendency to pause very briefly before zooming off again. Thirdly ... observation 3 ... this dragonfly occasionally zoomed off to the other pond for a brief but energetic punch up with his rival; on return to his own pond he patrolled the disputed area even more often and with more very brief pauses for hovering.

Other info: be patient, stand very still until you notice the dragonfly doesn't zoom away every time you blink. This doesn't take too long, they seem to get used to someone standing near quite quickly. And crucially ... and it took me ages to work this simple fact out ... switch to manual focus, AF is no good at all. Also use as long a lens as possible ... although this makes focusing on the dragonfly even more difficult you won't get near to one of these guys in flight if you try to get too close. Be prepared for a very low ratio of 'keepers' ... even a hovering dragonfly stays still for only the briefest of instants. So the main factor ... plain ordinary good luck.

That first capture is great.

Nice captures. You did really good. I have been trying for weeks to get something and all I get is empty air and lots of shutter actuations.

Those are really nice in flight shots. Great stuff.

Very nice. Tough shot to get.

gjl711 wrote in post #8683482
I have been trying for weeks to get something and all I get is empty air and lots of shutter actuations.

Yep ... and me. Hence the comment above about good luck being the main factor.

Thanks for the comments folks.

Great shot, hard to get them in flight.
Don

ancistrus wrote in post #8683137
Thanks for the comments folks. Much appreciated.
David ... much as I'd like to claim some special technique the truth is a bit more ordinary. Firstly it was based on observation of the habitat. This was two medium sized ponds about ten yards apart. Two dragonflies of the same species had a territory, one on each pond. At the ends of the ponds there was a small area of apparently disputed territory. So ... observation 1 ... both dragonflies spent much more time patrolling this section than other parts of the ponds so a clear shot was more likely. Secondly although the dragonfly's flight path was erratic there is a sort of pattern to it and in certain places ... observation 2 ... there was a tendency to pause very briefly before zooming off again. Thirdly ... observation 3 ... this dragonfly occasionally zoomed off to the other pond for a brief but energetic punch up with his rival; on return to his own pond he patrolled the disputed area even more often and with more very brief pauses for hovering.

Other info: be patient, stand very still until you notice the dragonfly doesn't zoom away every time you blink. This doesn't take too long, they seem to get used to someone standing near quite quickly. And crucially ... and it took me ages to work this simple fact out ... switch to manual focus, AF is no good at all. Also use as long a lens as possible ... although this makes focusing on the dragonfly even more difficult you won't get near to one of these guys in flight if you try to get too close. Be prepared for a very low ratio of 'keepers' ... even a hovering dragonfly stays still for only the briefest of instants. So the main factor ... plain ordinary good luck.

Simply outstanding!

Gerard