Black Dragonfly
Dec, 2015Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
![Boston Light --- [ 42°19′40.855″N 70°53′24.266″W ] ----- The Graves Light --- [ 42°21′54.48″N 70°52′09.11″W ]](https://cdnpt01.viewbug.com/media/mediafiles/2015/12/10/61130265_widepreview400.webp)
![[ 42°12'17.13"N 70°42'56.97"W ]](https://cdnpt01.viewbug.com/media/mediafiles/2016/01/25/62711373_widepreview400.webp)
![Located in Scituate, MA --- [ 42°12′02.12″N 70°45′19.20″W ] --- It was built in 1902 to cover a 275K gallon water tower. Listed in the Nati](https://cdnpt01.viewbug.com/media/mediafiles/2015/12/22/61549621_widepreview400.webp)
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken on Dunham Pond in the outskirts Carver, near "America's Hometown" of Plymouth, Massachusetts. I just happened to be snapping away at birds, flowers and other dragonflies flittering around when this little guy buzzed right by me and landed about three feet away.Time
This photo was taken on September 13th 2015 at around 5:30 or so in the afternoon. (Maybe a little earlier than 5:30, but not by much.)Lighting
I generally shoot in the afternoon light. For one thing, I am NOT a morning person! But I also prefer shooting when the harshness of the midday sun softens and begins to relax. Afternoon light also presents better shadowing and adds a warmer, softer, more 'film-like' ambiance to the shot if you catch it just right. The lighting on this particular afternoon gave just enough of itself to bring out the background colors in a soft but vibrant way. In setting up the shot I usually allow the camera to choose the ISO. If the lighting demands that I get involved in the decision-making process, I will - but most often in good light I just let the camera choose. I only have to balance the shutter speed with the f-stop to satisfy the light meter that way. Also, I would much rather UNDERexpose than the reverse! I find that underexposing just a tic or two on the light meter - again, in good enough light - is sufficient to enhance the shadowing and warmth that I am hoping for when I snap the shot. If the light is waning a bit too much I will then and only then OVERexpose one or two tics - but it needs to be getting dark first, and I will often also need to increase the ISO myself. In a pinch, I will rely on flash - but it is a rare occasion that I will use it.Equipment
I use a Canon Rebel EOS most often with a Canon EF-S 55-250mm zoom lens.Inspiration
I typically enjoy taking photographs of things in nature, wildlife, birds and insects, and I have a real affinity for dragonflies. They always seem to show up for me at just the right time - as if they came just to cheer me up! And they always cheer me up!Editing
First of all, I ALWAYS shoot in RAW mode. There is much more information in the raw shot that can be re-worked if needs be. A 'jpeg' just doesn't allow you to do certain things in the studio that helps you convert a mere snapshot into a photograph, but raw ... that's the ticket! I generally work on the exposure a little, curb the highlights a lot (to reveal more detail), then I work the shadows to their potential (without 'overshadowing'!), and diminish the blacks while boosting the whites in many instances. I just need to be careful not to create a digital artifact when working with the raw data shots. It's all too easy to create double edges and/or colorful lines along the edge where a light color will contrast with a darker color. If that happens I experiment with the highlights, the contrast, and the 'clarity' function (which adds detail to lines in the scene) to eradicate the artifact. I almost always reduce the actual level of contrast in any case. I have found that there is often a tiny bit more detail in the details if you do that - but only minimally (so I don't cut it by much). I will often zoom in on a piece I am working on so that I can see how much blur to add that will get rid of noise and speckling that is inherent in digital photography when the light wasn't perfectly adjusted for in the field. Once I 'smooth' the photo just enough, I will use the sharpening function to bring back a nice amount of detail until I'm satisfied with the balance between the two. If I ever feel the need to boost the color or tweak the tint and temperature, I do so as little as is necessary to bring out the actual level of color that I saw with my naked eye. A little bit of up-sat is fine and can be considered an enhancement, but there comes a point (to my eye at least) when a scene looks fake or becomes almost cartoonish. I'm generally not very big on allowing an adjustment that I am making to a shot to become as prominent as the subject of the piece. Everyone is different, and that's why they call it "art", but I like to allow the photo to speak for itself as truthfully as it can, because that's MY style. That is not to say I don't mess around with saturation; I do. Often. I just try not to over-saturate my work. My personal rule of thumb is just this: try to toe the line between making an 'enhancement' and making a 'change'. If you stand back from a piece you are working on and think you need to begin again - do it. And then just don't OVERDO it!In my camera bag
I always carry lent-free cloth lens wipes and Residual Oil Remover (ROR). I also have a squeeze bulb with a brush - and caps for both ends of my lenses is a must! I keep my battery charger in there with my SD cards too!Feedback
I would say just be patient and try not to move too fast or move too much whenever a dragonfly consents to pose for you! Dragonflies are often skittish and they move fast! I read somewhere that they have been clocked doing 45 miles per hour!! I most often find them in abundance around bodies of water where there are flowering plants and tall grasses along the shoreline or lily pads with little frogs on the water. Another great place to find dragonflies in any number of abundance, in my experience, have been cemeteries. There's actually something very uplifting about going to such a somber place and finding dragonflies there. It's almost as if they come there specifically for the purpose of comforting you - and then to watch over the resting place of your loved one after you leave. But no matter where you go to find dragonflies, whenever you see them it will bring a smile to your face and lift you up! Have Fun and Good Hunting!!
