Black-Golden Dragonfly

[Otavio]

Hi. Earlier today, when tracking the birds (Back to the Birds!), I found this beautiful black-golden dragonfly. The golden points on its wings were glittering against the sun light, like gold! It is a very small dragonfly, so the details are not as sharp as I would like them to be. Anyway, I decided to share it with you. Thanks for viewing/commenting!

#1


#2


#3


#4

[rpcrowe]

Lovely insect! I like #3 the best but, all are nice...

[Bobobird]

Backgound-wise I like 1,2 and 4. Subject-wise with Richard here -- #3. Well done.

[Otavio]

Hi Richard. Thanks for viewing!

[Otavio]

Thank you, Bobo. Regards...

[rudi]

Very nice Otavio,
very difficult subject, and the black color makes it even more difficult, to my opinion!
I am with Bobo.
Some 'enhancements' I would consider to make:
1: A slight crop, and selectively lighten the subject even more, to see more off its beauty. A little local contrast boast..(I gave it a quick try and it might work...for me, maybe not for you...)
2: Very nice framing. The dark subject stands out in the lighter background here. But I would also be tempted to lighten the subject a little.
3: Nice subject in a busy background. Maybe selectif blurring the background.
4: here I would also try to lighten the subject a little more.
My 2 cents worth.
Regards, Rudi

[jprzybyla]

Good images of an interesting insect. The color of the dragonfly makes expsoure difficult without overexposing the background.

[Otavio]

Rudi, many thanks for viewing and commenting. Below is a second version of #3, with a less busy background (I hope )
Regards...

[Otavio]

Thank you very, very much, Joe! You are right, its colors made this a really challenging task. My kidest regards...

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Otávio,

Very nice, especially that last one.

That is very black, you wouldn't think there would be enough pigment in the thin wings to get so much opacity/absorption.

Cheers,

[kdoc856]

Bingo. Huge improvement with that background change.

[Otavio]

Hi Dave. Yes, I agree (100%) with you. Thanks for commenting!

[Otavio]

Thanks Kevin! God bless the PP!

[jeeperman]

Nice series, Otavio. Very interesting colored Dragonfly.

[Otavio]

Thank you Paul, for viewing!

[Panama Hat & Camera]

Otavio,
Your photos are very good. It is very difficult to photograph these small, dark and beautiful dragonflies.
I've tried and could not.
With PP, the photo #3 got better.
Congratulations.
Antonio

[Otavio]

Yes, this was really hard! But as I said, God bless the PP!
Thanks for your valuable feedback, Antônio. Kindest regards...

[Walj]

"so the details are not as sharp as I would like them to be".

Hi Otavio,

Thanks for sharing your shot. If you wish to get a sharp image - very easy.., I share this with you and all members - First of all, you must use tripod instead of handheld. Make sure your move is slow and steady as not to frighten the insects. Set your camera to mirror lock up and use remote cable (cable release). ISO should be 100 (guarantee free of Noise). Use live view instead of you look the subject through the view finder then focus to 10x zoom. I can bet this with you and guarantee for satisfaction. Avoid using flash if not necessary - always remember that any shining subject especially the dragonfly wing and its head will cause reflection once you use flash. Secondly, when you process your image, try not to crop too much as to avoid too tight to surrounding frame. See my recent post of Drags and Dems in the forum. Good luck!

[Otavio]

Thanks Walad. Still figuring out how to use a tripod and a cable releaser for this type of shots, but I will thin about it, thanks! I saw your post (Drags and Dems) and liked it very much!
Regards...

[splashy]

I couldn't make a decent picture of most insects from a tripod, especially bees and dragonflies don't sit still for a second.
I use a zoom and high shutterspeed (2 times focal length)