Dragonfly at 1000mm... :)

twebster · Post by **twebster** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 9:17 pm

Hi y'all,

I was out at the Gilbert Water Ranch, Gilbert, Arizona, USA chasing little birdies with my new Canon EOS 1D MKII camera and 500mm lens. It was overcast and it gave the Roseate Skimmer dragonflies a beautiful glow...

Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) Canon EOS 1D MKII dSLR, Canon EF 500mm f 4L IS lens + Canon EF 2x II teleconverter, ISO 800, 1/320 sec @ f 16, Canon 550ex electronic flash with "Better Beamer" flash extender, fill flash -1 2/3 stops, tripod w/Wimberley Sidekick gimbel head.

This image is full frame, no cropping. I was at the minimum focusing distance of 14.8'. I added the fill flash to put some sparkle on the wings. Images I made without the fill flash made the wings look dull and lifeless. All I would need to do to make the dragonfly fill the frame would be to attach a 12mm or 25mm extension tube between the lens and teleconverter. My next challenge...A flying dragonfly at 1000mm

Best regards to all as always,

MacroLuv · Post by **MacroLuv** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 11:02 pm

Wow! Amazing!

All your photographs are of great quality and vivid, Tom. You can feel conditions in which pics was taken. You can almost breathe an air of original place just looking at them!

Hey! I've just posted 3000th or 3001st article!

Wim van Egmond · Post by **Wim van Egmond** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 1:47 am

Brilliant image, Tom!!!! We don't have these Disco Dragonflies in Holland!

Wim

MacroLuv · Post by **MacroLuv** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:18 am

Is it a small spider or ant on the branching place of that trunk?

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 3:09 am

There sure seem to be a host of colorful dragonflies out your way Tom. Beautiful photograph.

salden · Post by **salden** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 4:18 am

Oh what a background

. I need to get out and get some images of the insects before they are all gone for the season, but I have to go out today and photograph more puppies..

twebster · Post by **twebster** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 5:19 am

Thank you, my friends.

These Roseate Skimmers are probably the prettiest of the dragonflies found at the Water Ranch and are also terribly hard to approach. Being able to photograph them at 15' is going to be a real plus. Now, to find some more...

Best regards to all as always,

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 5:31 am

Keep going Tom...we want to see more. Very beautiful creature. Nature is always beautiful.....

twebster · Post by **twebster** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 6:58 am

MacroLuv wrote:Is it a small spider or ant on the branching place of that trunk?

That's just a part of the branch. The stuff stuck in the spider web is general "crud".