Dragonfly UR2A2404-2
Jun, 2014Views
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Runner Up in Macro Galore Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Macro Galore Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken behind my house on the edge of our pond. My house is in central Michigan and we own 55 acres of land.Time
I took this photo at about 6am on a warm August morning. There was a steady breeze blowing and it was making it difficult to get good hand held shots of the dragonflies when they landed because everything was waving aroundLighting
The sun was still low so the light was soft and I was in an area with tall pond plants that also cut down on direct light. The ISO was set at 800 f 5.6 at 1/250 secEquipment
I was using my Canon 5D Mark 3 with the Canon 70 - 200 f /2.8 IS 2 USM. A Marumi polarizer filter was on the lens. No flash was needed and there was too much movement for a tripod.Inspiration
I find Dragonflies to be very interesting creatures and love doing Macro work. They can be a real challenge, especially if the wind is blowing.. There are so many varieties, sizes and colors. When I spotted this one, I immediately liked the composition of it: Hanging on to a single reed and peaking trough grasses that were blowing horizontally to it.Editing
I use Lightroom for post processing. I cropped the photo to my liking and made some tonal adjustments as well as the white balance. The clarity and vibrance was adjusted up and I used strong contrast. Sharpening was used at my normal setting. Beyond that, a medium vignetting was used to highlight the subject.In my camera bag
I own both the Canon 5D Mark 3 and 7D Mark 2. I normally carry my Canon 100 Macro f 2.8, 24 - 105 f-4 and the 70 - 200 f 2 IS 2 USM. All are L series Lenses.Feedback
Be patient with the dragonflies! When they are first approached, they fly away. I have learned that if you stand still, they will quite often return to land exactly where they were when the flew away. Sometimes I will just set down and be still in an area that they are hanging out in. Eventually one will land near you. That is even more of a useful technique when using my 100 Macro lens (sometimes with magnifier filter as it requires you to be with in inches of the subject. After a while they will get quite comfortable with you seem to be friendly.
