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4 spot darter



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55 Comments | Report
wonderwoman627
 
wonderwoman627 June 09, 2013
Great shot!
KrakenWaker
 
KrakenWaker June 09, 2013
Really amazing shot, fantastic detail and colour. You should definitely add this to my dragonfly/damselfly project.
iceman2
 
iceman2 June 09, 2013
Great focus that show excellent texture!
JKSImagery
 
JKSImagery June 09, 2013
Awesome shot!
MireilleLeurs
 
MireilleLeurs June 10, 2013
Nice details and fantastic colour
KrakenWaker
 
KrakenWaker June 10, 2013
Really great shot, thanks for adding this to the project.
vimalchandran
 
vimalchandran June 20, 2013
what to say? spellbound
carlotaandrade
 
carlotaandrade June 26, 2013
What a detail! Nice macro detail..almost unbelievable. Superb focus ;)
ssharma
 
ssharma July 01, 2013
amazing details !
DaveMount
 
DaveMount July 04, 2013
brilliant
Iconoscope PRO+
 
Iconoscope July 08, 2013
Nick, you are an absolute master of the macro!
ricej2 Platinum
 
ricej2 July 11, 2013
Oh WOW...so jealous....I would love to get a shot like this! Absolutely Amazing! Well done!
Cecirene
 
Cecirene July 18, 2013
OUTSTANDING MACRO SHOT!
valzart
 
valzart July 18, 2013
A beautiful 5***** Fave :D
deborahv
 
deborahv July 20, 2013
Love the color and image
roboto
 
roboto July 20, 2013
Great composition and colors!
jraseoche
 
jraseoche July 23, 2013
Excellent macro shot
avguzzi Premium
 
avguzzi July 26, 2013
wow....
kasper Ultimate
 
kasper August 02, 2013
really amazing. it looks very aggressive. Interesting perspective.
AlanJakarta
 
AlanJakarta August 03, 2013
Superb macro. Congratulations.
jleiweke
 
jleiweke August 03, 2013
Congrats!
stacyruppertlangston
 
stacyruppertlangston August 03, 2013
WOW WOW WOW..... this is amazing.....
ronsummers
 
ronsummers August 03, 2013
Nature is amazing and so is this shot
HaliSowle
 
HaliSowle August 03, 2013
Fantastic macro, great detail, depth and texture. Super light and color.
rodney60
 
rodney60 August 03, 2013
grate macro
seatonimages
 
seatonimages August 03, 2013
WOW!
lindsaybilski
 
lindsaybilski August 04, 2013
AMAZING
ElaineH
 
ElaineH August 04, 2013
FinePix HS10 HS11 is now on my wish list of things to buy next!
dangerousdick
 
dangerousdick August 04, 2013
VERY COOL MACRO!! CONGRATS
Jeffrey_Marden
 
Jeffrey_Marden August 04, 2013
Brilliant shot!
ZachRosa
 
ZachRosa August 04, 2013
Nice shot
SusanB
 
SusanB August 05, 2013
Awesome macro! Congrats!
rmr731 Platinum
 
rmr731 August 06, 2013
Wow - amazing macro shot! Congrats on your award!
mcquearybmo
 
mcquearybmo August 07, 2013
Beautiful work. Congrats!
AliAlzuhair
 
AliAlzuhair August 10, 2013
Great work!
AWH-
 
AWH- October 16, 2013
Amazingly beautiful! Superb detail.
Beautiful-Breeze Platinum
 
Beautiful-Breeze March 25, 2014
wow, beautiful
sweetpea72
 
sweetpea72 March 25, 2014
AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME
Arzhtatiana
 
Arzhtatiana March 26, 2014
Cool!
vesipenkova
 
vesipenkova March 26, 2014
Stunning!
Sartur
 
Sartur July 12, 2014
Wow!
gondmagdi Premium
 
gondmagdi August 10, 2014
stunning shot !
BarbaraStorms
 
BarbaraStorms April 13, 2015
Just incredible!
OverTheMoon Platinum
 
OverTheMoon July 10, 2015
If it weren't for talent like yours, we would never know the beauty that abounds in the macro world.
CMDunbar13
 
CMDunbar13 August 20, 2015
Great Macro!
Lorise
 
Lorise September 11, 2015
Wow, this is amazing!
Elvio_Spiteri
 
Elvio_Spiteri October 14, 2015
amazing
shema PRO
 
shema October 18, 2015
so many insect macros are great detail but truly ugly, this is great detail and beautiful, love the tones and color too
susanbiffath
 
susanbiffath November 05, 2015
wow! you nailed this shot!
Atomck1
 
Atomck1 November 13, 2015
Nice work! Even more amazing when viewed on black screen.
williamlowery
 
williamlowery December 20, 2015
what a beautiful job, love it
sandytoes34287
 
sandytoes34287 December 25, 2015
The colors of small insects are amazing! you've done a fine job capturing them here.
SueDela
 
SueDela October 28, 2016
Amazing! Wish i could take a photo like this!
Neckbone
 
Neckbone April 15, 2017
Awesome image! Beautiful detail!
LUVADVENTURE
 
LUVADVENTURE January 15, 2018
One of the more awesome shot of a dragonfly that i’ve seen in VB. Well done.
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

I took this particular photo when I was visiting a nature reserve called Wicken Fen. It's a beautiful place only a few miles from where I live and is host to thousands of different insects, along with many species of birds. If you're very lucky you can also catch a sight of some wild Konik ponies that roam the marshes. A wonderland of nature and wonderful dragonflies.

Time

It was about 1pm when I took this shot along with quite a few other shots. I'd been in the reserve most of the morning but had only spotted 2 or 3 dragonflies mid air until I spotted this one.

Lighting

I'd like to say the sun was casting lovely shafts of gold but I can't. It was a bit of a cloudy day with occasional glimpses of sunshine, but with it being midday what sun there was was bright and overhead.

Equipment

I'm a big bridge camera fan and I took this shot with my old Fuji HS10/HS11. A great camera which I used for about 3 years. I had attached to it a Raynox dcr250 clip on macro lens. If you're on a tight budget then it's a must in my opinion. I never carry a tripod with me but prefer to use what I can to steady my camera. In this case it was my trusty knee as the dragonfly was low down in the grass. Fortunately it stayed still long enough for me to get a string of shots from different angles.

Inspiration

The inspiration for this shot is down to a love of nature and all things that are not quite so obvious. One of the most important things an interest in photography has given me is the joy of really opening my eyes to what is around. Corny and clichéd I know but true. There is so much to see everywhere you go and everyday you go there. I've developed an interest in insects and it's a great way to study them and learn more about them when you can photograph them. Beautiful creatures.

Editing

The only post-processing was some slight exposure adjustment and cropping at the bottom to remove a bit of the grass leaf. Apart from that it's as it was seen through the lens.

In my camera bag

Being a fan of bridge cameras I don't actually have a lot of equipment. Very limited is putting it mildly. I use a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000 which I upgraded to from my old Fuji HS10. I have a Raynox dcr250 macro lens and various filters and have an ND filter attached virtually all the time. I'd like to say I have more equipment but I can't. A tight budget means having to make the most of what you can afford which is what I like to think I try to do.

Feedback

The biggest piece of advice I could give is to open those eyes wide, look all around and don't be afraid to get down low. Have a good rummage in the hedgerows and undergrowth. There's a whole mini world going on in there. If you're a bit squeamish with insects just take some time out to watch them going about their business. Always busy but always fascinating. They're wonderful creatures that offer some fascinating shapes, sizes, colours and textures. You don't need to worry about going to exotic locations, just head off in to your garden or a local park/beauty spot and see what you can find. Photography is a great way to learn about your subject aswell. If there's a insect I don't recognise, I'll take a few shots and get a book out when I get home and see what I've found. Most of all just have fun and enjoy what you're doing.

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