photoartflightImmature Male Great Blue Skimmer Dragonfly
We had gone to the Audubon Plainsboro Preserve to see if we could find a few interesting dragonflies to photograph for the blog. The Preserve was still overloaded with Cicadas but there were quite a few Dragonflies flying around on the paths. It was fun to find this Immature Great Blue Skimmer Dragonfly along the main path. The featured image was taken with a Canon 300mm lens with a 1.4x Teleconverter @ f/6.3 for a smoother background. Below are other views at various f/stops.
photoartflight 
Nice shots, always hard to get those dragons sharp with the bigger glass (not to mention even getting them to land for a second so you can get a snap off).
Thanks! I purposefully shoot at wider open f/stops for a smoother uncluttered background. I do not mind that whole dragonfly is not sharp across the whole image. Just want head and a smaller area sharp. When I want sharpness across the whole dragonfly I focus stack a series of images sometimes on a tripod. Also this dragon did not stand still long enough for me to do a full series of focus points before it moved! Thanks again!!
Wow, great details, Reed, excellent shots!
Thanks so much Donna! They are fun Photo Subjects!
I do like the thin front picture, where you can se perfect how the wings are attached to the body.
Thanks! They are interesting photo subjects!
Nice collection of this handsome dragon, Reed!
Thanks Steve! Dragonflies are one of my favorite photo subjects!
Great shots, Reed– you’ve captured some fine angles.
Thanks Eliza! It helps when the Dragonflies cooperate instead of just flying off!!!
Loved watching these series, gorgeous captures, Reed!
Thanks so Much Greta!!! They are fun to photograph!