photoartflightBlue Dasher Thorax & Wing Detail
Posted on June 10, 2020
I thought it was interesting to see the details of where the wings attach to the thorax on this Blue Dasher dragonfly’s body. I was using a 300mm f/4 lens with a 2x teleconverter and an extension tube to get a closer view. I usually carry extension tubes or closeup filters with me in case I come upon an interesting closeup photo opportunity. But I usually use extension tubes more than closeup filters because you are adding another glass element that might degrade the image. You can also experiment with the placement of the extension tube. Placing the extension tube before or after the teleconverter gives you different “focus zones.” Also the width of the extension tube gives you different focus zones. So it is best to see what combination works best for you and the lenses you are using. But it is fun to try different ways to get the image you want. Plus you never know when it will come in handy. Images below are a series of images using extension tubes & teleconverters with 300mm & 400mm lenses.
Blue Dasher Dragonfly- 400mm f/4 DO Lens, extension tube, 1.4x teleconverter
Dragonflies From Davidson’s Mill Pond Park
Posted on June 30, 2019
We went to a local park to look for Dragonflies or other investing subjects to photograph. It seems like it is a slow start for dragonflies at this local park compared to other years. But we did manage to photograph a few different types. It was still fun to see what we could find.
Blue Dasher – male
Eastern Pondhawk – Female
Eastern Pondhawk- Male
Common Whitetail- Male
Slaty Skimmer – Male
Young White Ibis Feeding Early In The Morning
Posted on February 17, 2018
I am still going through some of my images from our trip to Florida in the Fall. On our visits to the J.N. Ding Darling NWR, we tried to get there early. While I was walking the Indigo Trail early in the morning, hoping to find some birds trying to find breakfast. I came upon a group of White Ibises. The older birds were in the lower branches, working their way through the trees. There was this one younger adult, still showing some dark mottling on the face and neck, foraging on the ground. Again it was very dark, but it helped a little for my exposure that it was a white bird! I still had to use a minus exposure compensation, but I had to go even a little further than usual because I was using average metering, so I got a little higher shutter speed. Which I needed for my 300mm lens with a 1.4x teleconverter.
White Ibis with Breakfast Bug breakfast – Canon 300mm f/4 IS Lens, Canon Series III 1.4x teleconverter
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Backlite Leaves
Posted on October 13, 2016
When I am walking through gardens, parks or woods, I Look for interesting subjects or textures to photograph. Sometimes I use them for the main image or backgrounds or textures for my ebooks to place images or text floating on top, giving a more visual look to the page. Here I was looking for interesting leaves & textures. Interesting skies and clouds also work well for this.
The above sunflower on the path is not backlie, but still an interesting background for floating images or a text block on the left side.
Sunflowers
Posted on September 25, 2016
There were many types of Sunflowers in the Meadow. Or I believe they were Sunflowers from my research. I could not determine the exact type, but they seem to be in the Sunflower family.
Buckeye Butterfly
Posted on September 24, 2016
Another butterfly we found in the Meadow Gardens. This one looked in better shape than most of the other butterflies we saw in the meadow.
Black Swallowtail Butterfly Takeoff
Posted on September 21, 2016
I was photographing this Black Swallowtail Butterfly and as it took off I followed it along to combine into a Take Off sequence. Combining 3 images into a panorama. I had a few more, but it just added a lot of blue sky which looked empty. It stayed in the area for a while giving me the opportunity to get quite a few shots in different poses.
Hummingbird Moth on Milk Thistle
Posted on September 20, 2016
We went to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania to go through their 86 acre Meadow Gardens. It is more known for their Formal Gardens and Conservatory, but we enjoy the Meadows. With more than three miles of walking and hiking trails which lead visitors to the diverse habitats found throughout the Meadow Gardens terrain. I found a few Hummingbird Moths working an area with a lot of Milk Thistles. I raised the ISO to 1250 and was shooting at 1/500 sec to 1/1000 sec, and a few above that, but could still not capture their wings. They were really fast movers, but they really liked these Thistles so they stayed for quite a while. They were darting back and forth so their was little time to compose and shoot before they darted off to another spot. They were still fun to photograph. Next time I could try fill flash, but they move so quickly it would be limiting because of the recycling time of the flash. All shots handheld, shot with a 300mm lens with extension tubes to get closer. These moths seem to be super active and non-stop movers!
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