Yesterday I spent an hour or so down in the marshes beside the Mousam River, where the Kennebunk Bridle Path passes through, photographing dragon and damsel flies. There was one small oval pool, maybe 4 feet by 3 feet, that was attracting a lot of attention, but at any given time looking out over the marsh toward the wood, you could see a dozen dragonflies in flight. The two largest, and therefore most visible, species were the Common Baskettail, Four-spotted Skimmer shown in the first three images, and the Hudsonian Whiteface. Whiteface dragonflies are mating right now, and there were several mating wheels flying over the marsh. With patience, eventually most dragonflies, especially during mating season, will light long enough for a photograph. The trouble is, you very often run out of time before the dragonfly. The 4th and 5th images are a Hudsonian Whiteface mating wheel.

Of course, if you are photographing dragonflies you are watching the marsh closely, and sometimes you are rewarded with a damselfly. Damselflies are much more difficult to spot, as they fly lower, often weaving among the reeds and grasses, they are considerably more delicate, and most of them perch with their wings folded back along their bodies. Even when you spot one land in long marsh grass, it is sometimes impossible to see them with the naked eye from any distance. Getting them in the frame and in focus is a real challenge.

The 6th image is a Scarlet Bluet [much as I would like it to be…it is much more likely a] female Eastern Forktail that visited the pool I was watching for only a few moments. It did light long enough for a pic. Number 7 is a male Eastern Forktail. The Eastern Forktail is much easier than most damselflies to find and photograph, since that turquoise tail tip flashes like lightening in the grass. 🙂

Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation.  These were all taken with the full optical zoom (840mm equivalent field of view) plus the Canon’s 2x digital tel-extender function for the equivalent of 1680mm. They are hand held shots, which is surely a testimony to how good the Canon image stabilization is. If I were working with any other camera and lens combination, I would have to be a lot more patient than I am. I can reach dragonflies and damselflies with are simply beyond the range of most camera rigs. And you can see that the auto-focus on the SX40HS does an excellent job of isolating the bugs, even deep in grass.

They are also all on Program, letting the camera adjust shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Shutter speeds were between 1/320th and 1/500th and the ISO was 100 on most shots. They are all wide open at f5.8.

Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.