photoartflightCommon Whitetail Dragonflies From Audubon Plainsboro Preserve
We went to get a walk at the Audubon Plainsboro Preserve so I just took a camera along in case I saw some interesting Dragonflies along the walking paths. I saw quite a few Damselflies along with many Dragonflies on this visit. The Cicadas were not as noisy as previous trips with many just laying on the ground along the paths. The Featured Image is a handheld 5 image Focus Stacked image of a Female Common Whitetail Dragonfly. As I was shooting my series of images it flew off before I could photograph the Near & Far wingtips but I thought it was still interesting. If the Dragonfly is horizontal to me I usually start my handheld multi-image Focus-Stacked Images with the main body and then the Far Wing Tips and then the Near Wing tips. Lately I am also shooting with an f/stop of f/5.6 or f/8 (Depending on the lens & Teleconverter I am using and the Camera Body) to get a smoother background. I used to just shoot @ f/16 or f/22 to get the whole Dragonfly in Focus, but then I usually had a busy distracting background to deal with.
photoartflight 
Nice trio of images, Reed.
Thanks so much Steve! They are fun photo subjects when they cooperate!
The gossamer wings in the first shot are amazing!
Thanks Eliza! They are fun to photograph!
Beautiful shots, Reed, of the Common Whitetails. It is always a balancing act as we try to figure out a way to get as much of the dragonfly in focus as possible without allowing the background to get too cluttered. If the dragonfly cooperates there may be multiple options, but often it is touch and go for the photographer as well as for the dragonfly.
Thanks so much Mike! They are fun photo subjects and it is fun to try different ways to photograph them! Sometimes it works and other times it does not! But still fun to try!
I am with you, Reed, on the benefits of trying new and different ways of photographing the same subjects. I never know what will work, but the good thing in any case is that digital photography is pretty forgiving and it doesn’t cost me to try multiple ways of shooting.
Exquisite captures, Reed! Love to see these beautiful insects.
Thanks Greta! They are fun to photograph!
Wonderful captures and detail!!!
Thanks Denise! It is fun to see how much detail you can get on the dragonfly and still have a fairly clean background!!