Sowing The Seeds
Dragonfly laying her eggs in a lake in Norway.
Dragonfly laying her eggs in a lake in Norway.
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Aug, 2014Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken last August while on holiday in Norway.Time
Must have been taken around 12 in the afternoon down at this large lake behind a dam.Lighting
I always prefer to use natural light in my photos, on this day the sun was in and out behind clouds but the light seemed quite crisp after a morning of fog. Though when this was taken I believe the sun was hiding behind a cloud.Equipment
This was taken on a Cannon EOS 50D using a 200mm lens without tripod support.Inspiration
I had never seen this type of dragonfly before. Not the easiest of insects to photo as they seem quite sensitive to movement. On this day I focused my attention on this particular dragonfly hoping that it would settle somewhere close to me. Finally it came to rest on a slight out crop of mud, and to my surprise started moving backwards into the water, I realised then that she was laying eggs, a few pond skaters came close to her which inspired me even more to get a nice shot before she would take to the sky again.Editing
For this photo the only post-processing needed was to crop the edges leaving just the dragonfly and one of the pond skaters in focus.In my camera bag
I always carry the Canon EOS 50D and a 200mm lens along with a 17-85mm lens which is not the best of lenses but until I save some pennies it will have to do. Recently I was given a tripod which I still need to get into the habit of taken out with me on my walks, shame it doesn't fit into the camera bag.Feedback
The only thing I can say is have patience with dragonflies. If you come across more then one dragonfly at a particular place, pick one out that appeals to you the most and try to only focus on that particular one. follow it with your camera (not always so easy) and learn its flying pattern. Usually it will follow a certain pattern and have a favourite spot to land. Slowly move closer to the area which you feel would give you the best view and then stay still. I find you have to have a balance when photographing dragonflies, on one hand you have to be slow so not to scare them off and on the other hand you have to be quick enough to react when the photo opportunity presents itself.
