More Tank Improvements

After my last few tank sessions and more reading of the internet on how to photograph through glass and different settings used I planned another session tonight in the comfort of my kitchen where plenty of warm tea was available should I get stressed out. I have been pleased so far with the results but like most photographers, we are always looking for better so noticing the water was starting to cloud up, I prepared some a few days ago and put the clear water in the tank. I decided on a small rock from the garden and a bit of pond weed for the background, although I should've used a bit more to green up the shots. I also found a couple of LED light that we use for camping so both of these were positioned at the side of the tank at the front. Added to this was my Samsung Galaxy S5 with its LED light on positioned above the tank overlooking the front of the tank. With the kitchen lights turned off this made for a nicely lit tank and with the camera set on manual mode, f11, ISO 320, speed set to 250 and a speedlite on a tripod all I had to do was to coax the Emperor Dragonfly nymph on to the stone and hope I could get a few clear shots.

Emperor Dragonfly Nymph

Its certainly been an education watching the Emperor and damselfly larvae in the other tank go about their business but I still await the moment I see the Emperor Dragonfly nymph in hunting mode, perhaps they slow down their feeding throughout the winter months? I spent the next 45 minutes getting a number of pleasing images of this hunter and with the added light, I think there has been an improvement in the shots.

Emperor Dragonfly Nymph

I know many of us see dragonflies flying about in the summer months but I wonder how many have actually seen the nymphs concerned for the species, this after all is how they spend most of their lives. A very productive session again. Hopefully I can get a larger Emperor Dragonfly nymph soon as I very much look forward to that challenge and think I could get a decent set of detailed photos of the king of the dragonfly larvae. 

Emperor Dragonfly Nymph