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Flame Skimmer Dragonfly

Flame Skimmer Dragonfly resting

Flame Skimmer Dragonfly resting
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Canon EOS 5D Mark II

settings

Aperture f/8.0 ISO 200 Shutter 1/180

upload_date

Jan, 2015

Views

1470

Likes

+266

Awards

Contest Finalist in Rule Of Thirds In Macro Photo Contest

Peer Award

+111

Superb Composition

+16

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

All Star

Magnificent Capture

Superior Skill

Outstanding Creativity

Genius

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this photo in my backyard by a water feature we have. The Dragon Flies love to perch on this particular plant that has a slight appearance of bamboo.

Time

I usually see these around 10:00 AM when it starts warming up, much the same for butterflies. This particular image was captured at 12:15, right around noon.

Lighting

I had good lighting from the sun and it was mostly sunny with a few clouds.

Equipment

I used a Canon 5D MkII with Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS lens on a Gitzo Tripod with RRS Ball Head and remote shutter.

Inspiration

I have taken many photos of these in my backyard, usually had held and wanted to see if I could get better results with a tripod. I noticed quite a bit of activity so set up my gear and waited. The hardest part of this is getting a good focus. I used the farthest right focus point I could for composition purposes and tried to get that point right on the head. I was determined to get some sharp images

Editing

This image was totally developed from a RAW file in LR. I followed my usual flow of enabling the lens profile, then did a touch of cropping to get the subject where I wanted it. I then reduced the noise and did a little sharpening. Following this I set the white balance to daylight then adjusted the shadows, highlights and white & black clipping. I then added some clarity and vibrance and adjusted the tone curve. I then made some color adjustments with the luminance controls for red and orange to adjust the brightness of those colors.

In my camera bag

What I have in my bag depends on what I have planned. In this case had I been going to the local wildlife refuge for similar photography, I would have taken my Canon 7D, which I did not have at the time of this shot, along with a Canon 300mm f/4 lens, Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens and a 1.4X multiplier lens. I also would have had an extra battery and probably a couple extra memory cards as well as my tripod. However, usually when I go to the refuge I also carry my 5D Mk II along with a couple wide angle lens for landscape work as well as a set of graduated ND filters. Being home I had access to all my photography equipment so it was rather easy to choose what I needed.

Feedback

The best advice I can give for photographing something like this is to have patience! Also plan for what you are trying to do. By plan I mean decide where you are going, what the conditions are going to be and what conditions your subject likes and where you will find it. Besides the camera gear you need to think about what you are wearing. You want to blend in with the background you are photographing in so no bright colors. Subdued colors or even camouflage clothing works great.

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Flame Skimmer Dragonfly

Flame Skimmer Dragonfly resting

Behind The Lens

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