eclectic imaging
Little Monster
Posted by MadScientist (Düsseldorf, Germany) on 29 May 2008 in Animal & Insect and Portfolio.
There are dragonflies and there are big dragonflies. Regular visitors know that I'm always open for some jurassic feeling, and I find rather big dragonflies like this one quite formidable. Funnily enough I could capture this one with my zoom lens.
Download my coffee-table book of selected postings here. Enjoy!
Michael Skorulski from Cigel, Slovakia
Your detail is fantastic, MS. This is really excellent.
29 May 2008 5:49am
@Michael Skorulski: Thanks a lot, Michael. I'm still discovering the details of Colognes botanical garden; this little dragonfly pond is one of them.
Ronnie 2¢ from London, United Kingdom
And capture it you have . . I must make an extra effort this year to photograph these. Thanks for the crisp reminder!
29 May 2008 7:45am
@Ronnie 2¢: My pleasure :-)
Evelyne Dubos from Le Mans, France
Yes , of course, a very beautiful shot. I like details and particulary the way dragonfly hold on to the flower with it delicat legs.
29 May 2008 7:51am
@Evelyne Dubos: It took a rest for a while and allowed me to make a few shots :-)
juant3 from Bremen, Germany
WoW! That is really one big dragonfly and such great details you were able to capture... And, I can imagine that the original photo is with much crispier details!
29 May 2008 9:51am
@juant3: (To be honest: I sharpened this one a bit. Ssshhh... ;-)
@Veronelle: Thanks - but actually it was a zoom, not a macro :-)
dobbino from Cape Town, South Africa
Wonderful shot, MadScientist! Wish this was one of mine!
29 May 2008 1:28pm
@dobbino: That was a lucky moment. I was about to leave the place (and already had stowed my cam away) when I saw this dragonfly. Fortunately it had a longer rest, so I could make a few shots.
JoeB from Brampton, Canada
The detail of the wings is amazing, like fine intricate glass.
29 May 2008 2:13pm
@JoeB: They are really good fliers! I didn't even notice a humming sound. Just superior technology :-)
@crafts: Thanks a lot, crafts!
Jen from Alpharetta, United States
Excellent details and it's so crisp and sharp! Well Done!
29 May 2008 5:30pm
@Jen: Thanks so much! Lesson learned: use the zoom lens and make nice pseudo-macros :)
@Tracey: Thanks, Tracey. This one was big enough to see the details. The dragonflies I usually spot at home are way smaller.
@Ina: Thank you, Ina!
MaryB from Staffordshire, United Kingdom
Oh MS, this is a SUPERB shot!, these are one of my favourite inscects along with Damselfiles.
30 May 2008 1:04am
@MaryB: Thanks Mary, but this was just a lucky moment with a big insect that even I could not miss :-)
Japanalia from Yokohama, Japan
What a capture!!!! All details there......and this one IS beautiful! (I generally prefer butterflies! Which.....I hardly can capture!)
30 May 2008 9:37am
@Japanalia: Butterflies would be nice to capture, but unfortunately they are rather seldom here and too fidgety for me. :-)
Twelvebit from Victoria, United States
I don't know if it's my unsteady hand or what, but I'm not having much luck with my 300mm lens unless I'm pretty well braced, even at 1/500th second shutter speed. Just recently reviewing a bunch of shots I took at 1/500, and very disappointed in the lack of sharpness, I was thinking I might need to start shooting at 1/1000. I'm surprised you got this kind of clarity at 1/250 and 300mm.
30 May 2008 2:51pm
@Twelvebit: Don't worry, for me it's my macro lens that I'm 'weak' on. But my Tamron is a fine lens, colours are slightly duller than with my cheap Sigma everyday lens, but nothing that can't be corrected. Can't remember any shot you've done that was blurry, though :)
Twelvebit from Victoria, United States
You haven't seen my blurry shots because I don't post them. I took a bunch of wildlife shots a couple weeks ago and where I was free holding the camera about 90% of them were unusable. A lot of them looked ok on the LCD screen but were unacceptable on my computer monitor. Sometimes a little blur works in an image (or even a lot), but normally I just delete the blurry stuff immediately.
30 May 2008 9:19pm
@Twelvebit: So do I... Hm, strange! To find out if it's you or the lens, I would borrow a zoom lens (perhaps with camera) from a friend or rent it from a store and try some shots. If the photos you make are OK, get a new lens for your camera, if they also appear blurry - tough luck!
akarui from Kagoshima, Japan
Beautiful macro MadScientist. I enjoy the sharpness, great job.
31 May 2008 12:58am
@akarui: Actually it's a "zoomo" :-) I enjoyed the sharpness too, because light was rather dull, I didn't expect that.
@Michael: Unsere Nachbarn haben zwar einen kleinen Teich, aus dem auch Libellen schlüpfen, aber die sind ziemlich klein. So einen Brummer sieht man hier auch nicht alle Tage!
Daily Phototherapy from Sacramento, United States
Outstanding capture! The colors and the crisp details are marvelous!
13 Jun 2008 3:47am
@Daily Phototherapy: Not bad for a zoom lens, eh? :-)
Canon EOS 300D
1/250 second
F/10.0
ISO 400
300 mm