Patience is it's own reward... Emperor Dragonfly

[Astro]

I set out yesterday with a single challenge... to photograh an Emperor Dragonfly. They are not particularly scarce, but they are always on the wing and the warmer it is the faster they fly,(or so it seems).

I had no expectation of an in-flight image but I was hoping for a 'resting' capture. All in all I was out for 4 hrs at the side of the lake. About 3 hrs in, I got the chance of a male perching on a reed. All lined up..... and a couple walked right through my shot, and I lost the chance!!

An hour later I was just starting to pack-up when another male settled about 25ft away. I managed a sequence of 11 images and as I turned back to my camera bag, there were four walkers patiently waiting for me to finish my shot......

#1


Emperor Dragonfly-male (Anax imperator)

#2

Four-spotted Chaser male (Libellula quadrimaculata)

#3

White Water-llily ((Nymphaea alba)

#4




#5


Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

I have photographed Water-lilly before but often the image has been rather washed-out because of general glare on the water. This time round I was able to get very low (on my belly) and into a position with mostly backlight on the flowers.


C&C welcome

[lesno1]

Nice work James love the first one

[Geoff F]

All good photographs.

I have seen plenty of Emperors flying around me this year but failed to get any to pose for a photo. Best I could manage was a snap of a female amongst the grass. Sufficient for identification but useless for a good clear photo.

Yesterday, there were a few Broad-bodied Chasers and a male Keeled Skimmer chasing each other around a small pond but I couldn't get a shot at any of them. Returned a few hours later but all I managed was a female Keeled Skimmer in the undergrowth which, once again, is OK for identification but I won't be hanging it on my wall.

[xpatUSA]

Really good images, way beyond my capabilities ... and for me at 25ft, fergeddaboudit!

Er, try and get the lenses in the compound eyes next time, eh?

[Astro]

Er, try and get the lenses in the compound eyes next time, eh?

Well I did say I was up for C&C

Damsel Compound Eye

Interesting challenge Ted I used my 800mm lens to capture the Emperor, and even getting to within 10-25 feet of them is pretty difficult.
Normally I would use my 100mm Canon Macro. I can get within 10-20 cm of a 'compliant' subject if I can avoid spooking them first. Never managed anything like that with dragonflies though.

It is a bit easier with the damsels I can usually get very close to them.

I did a quick review of the images I have taken of various damsels over this last couple of months but I have only taken one really close headshot. Mostly I am trying to capture the whole insect.
Taking a more detailed look at the eye there is some compound eye detail, so my Canon R5 /100mm macro combination is capable of the resolution required.
The real bar to getting better detail is going to be my ability to remain steady (assuming that there is minimal breeze when I shoot )

So I have always liked a challenge and will see if I can get better images of the compound eye of some damsels. I seem to remember there can be 20,000+ ommatidia in each eye
Will also need start using my monopod which I rarely do at present because it generally seems to get in the way. And I need to do a bit of serious thinking about my usual camera settings for best depth of field.

Will get back to you on my progress ...or not !!

[Wavelength]

Nice set of images

[Astro]

Definitely a need for patience and even more.... some luck but....

#1
Damsel Compound Eye

#2
Damsel Compound Eye

#3
Damsel
Not totally sure of the Damsel, At first I though it was a female Emerald but the wing spots are white not black. Maybe an immature form of another species)

However, slightly to my surprise it is possible to hand hold, in the field, and get significant detail of the eye to see some of the compund eye structure.

Probably won't try this too often because-
1) any breeze and no chance of the shot,
2) using my 100mm Camon macro I needed to get to minimum focussing distance between 10 and 15 cm from the damsel...lots of luck needed for that.
3) If the detail in the eye can be brought out but the head and thorax behind the eye are not sharp.

Oddly enough,it is easy to see and photograph the detail of the compuond eye of a Chironomus midge...even though the midge is much smaller than a Damselfly. Presumably because there are fewer compound eyes and the midge does not appear to have any external layer protecting? the compound eyes.

#4
Chironomus Midge

C&C welcome

[billtils]

These are fascinating creatures.

There was a superb David Attenborough program "Dragons and Damsels" on Sky TV's nature channel on Sunday. Sadly that is not a free to air channel and I'm not sure if it is avaiable outside the UK and Ireland, but if you don't mind paying a small fee it should be available on Sky's Now TV.

Best viewing of the weekend - knocked the Olympics out of the park.

[xpatUSA]

There was a superb David Attenborough program "Dragons and Damsels" on Sky TV's nature channel on Sunday. Sadly that is not a free to air channel and I'm not sure if it is avaiable outside the UK and Ireland, but if you don't mind paying a small fee it should be available on Sky's Now TV.

'The Dragon and the Damsel' is free on You-tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyEg34kaDAU
.

[billtils]

'The Dragon and the Damsel' is free on You-tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyEg34kaDAU
.

Thanks for spotting that Ted!

[Geoff F]

I was also unsure about that Damsel, James. My first thoughts were for a female Banded Demoiselle; based chiefly on those white wing spots.

If you want to get really close, this is a method which I sometimes use. Pot up an insect into standard insect collection tubes then give them a blast of carbon dioxide. Wait about 30 seconds to a minute and tip out onto a suitable background. But they quickly recover and fly off so you have to move fast. Unlike the alternative of Ethel acetate which leaves them groggy for some time and a few don't recover.

Pressurised cans of carbon dioxide are sold by aquarium suppliers but you need to do a little bit of tube reduction. I just fit one small tube over the nozzle and another slightly smaller one inside that tube.

Alternatively you can sometimes find old Corkmaster units from secondhand shops or E bay etc. They were once popular for removing wine bottle corks. Push the hollow needle through the cork and release some gas until the cork pops out. Never really that successful compared with a standard corkscrew but they became 'trendy'.

I find those units are conveniently sized to fit inside a backpack. I have drilled small needle sized holes in my tube lids so I can easily add the gas without having to open the tube and let the insect escape. They run on small carbon dioxide unthreaded refills for some aerated drinks dispensers or home brewers etc.

Also, I modified a small plastic tray which I can rotate or tilt as required. A large leaf makes a good background and placed upside down inside the tray reduces any glare from the waxy upperside.

It is all a bit fiddly to do outside in the real world environment but it does enable me to get identification quality images of those little critters which won't stay still long enough for me to focus.

[Astro]

Thanks Geoff, I hesitated to suggest Banded Demoiselle, the abdomen seemed to be too yellow, or more precisely, no sign of the greeny-emerald I would have expected.

To date I have never thought to try capturing, even briefly. I certainly did not know about using CO2 or ethyl acetate. That said, I will keep it in mind for some of the spiders and beetles that routinely scuttle away far too quickly.
On a side issue entirely, I have an aquarium, but keep & breed Lake Malawi and Tanganyikan Cichlids. They destroy any and all aquarium plants as soon as they go in, so I have never been tempted to try CO2 treatment of the water. Only put plants in now as 'dietary' supplements