photoartflightCommon Whitetail Dragonflies From Davidsons Mill Pond Park
Posted on June 11, 2021
We went to the Audubon Plainsboro Preserve looking for dragonflies and any other interesting subjects we could find to photograph. We found a male & female Common Whitetail Dragonfly in 2 different locations along our walk. The Featured Image is a Female Common Whitetail Dragonfly 2 shot focus stack @ f/8. I focused first on the head & then focused on the tail. Then blended the 2 images in Photoshop for the final image. By shooting 2 images @ f/8 and combining the 2 images I had the depth of field to get the head & tail in focus and still have a somewhat smoother background I wanted without getting a more cluttered looking background. Usually I would use f/5.6 instead of f/8 but I only wanted to use 2 images in case the dragonfly flew off. All images in this post were taken with a Canon 7D with a 300mm f/4 lens & 1.4X Teleconverter.
Female Common Whitetail Dragonfly, f/ 5.6. Showing smoother uncluttered background but the tail sharpness is softer than the 2 image stacked image.
Female Common Whitetail Dragonfly @ f/11, 300mm, 1.4x teleconverter. Showing even at f/11 the tail sharpness is softer than the 2 image focus stacked image.
Immature Male Common Whitetail Dragonfly, 300mm, 1.4x teleconverter, @ f/8, Canon 7D, showing smoother, uncluttered background.
Immature Male Common Whitetail Dragonfly, 300mm, 1.4x teleconverter, @ f/16, Canon 7D, showing a more cluttered distracting background.
Common Whitetail Dragonfly
Posted on June 4, 2018
We went for a walk at a local park looking for Dragonflies. We saw quite a few but not many close enough to get good photos of them. This year, so far, they seem wary and stay at a distance. This Common Whitetail landed close by on a piece of wood on our way out. Shot with a 300mm lens setup for close focusing for Dragonflies.
Common Whitetail Skimmer Basking
Posted on June 8, 2014
Summer is almost here and the dragonflies and damselflies are starting to appear. Here are some shots of a Common Whitetail Skimmer, showing the chalky bluish white abdomen and the transparent wings with black bands. The sun was shining through the wings highlighting the wings and the hairs on its back. It kept taking off to get an insect for a meal and returning to the same warm rock to finish the meal.
Common Whitetail Skimmer Dragonfly Canon EOS 1D MkIV, Canon 400mm DO IS f/4 lens, Canon 25mm Extension tube, Canon 1.4X Series III Teleconverter, f/10, 1/160 sec, ISO 640
Common Whitetail Skimmer Dragonfly Canon EOS 1D MkIV, Canon 400mm DO IS f/4 lens, Canon 25mm Extension tube, Canon 1.4X Series III Teleconverter,
Common Whitetail Skimmer Dragonfly Canon EOS 1D MkIV, Canon 400mm DO IS f/4 lens, Canon 25mm Extension tube, Canon 1.4X Series III Teleconverter,
When using an extension tube with a long telephoto lens for closer focusing, try putting the extension tube between the lens and the teleconverter. This will allow to focus closer than if you put the extension tube between the teleconverter and the body of the camera. Also if you want to go to extremes, try this combination for closer focusing and it actually enlarges the image a little more. First the telephoto lens, then a 25mm or longer extension tube, then the teleconverter (1.4X) then another 20-25mm extension tube. It works quite well, but you loose auto exposure, so judge your exposure by looking at your histogram. I also usually use a better beamer on a flash foe some fill light with that setup. Remember to try experimenting with different options and see what works best for you and your lens combination.
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