Wednesday 11 November 2015

The Emperor Dragonfly Nymph (Part 1)

I made a brief visit late afternoon to a site near Reculver to see if I could find any dragonfly and damselfly nymphs to photograph at home in my tank. I specifically wanted to try to find a few Emperor Dragonfly nymphs as they make for a nice subject to photograph and definitely have a lot of character. After a search around I soon found a few damselfly nymphs, followed by a couple of Four spotted Chaser nymphs and then a few Common Darter nymphs, but no Emperor Dragonfly nymphs. I decided to try in some slightly deeper water and initially I did not find any but eventually I found a single Emperor Dragonfly nymph of around 15mm long. I searched this area again more thoroughly and was surprised to find another 8 Emperor Dragonfly nymphs ranging in length from 10mm to a fully grown individual of over 40mm. I would have thought they would have been more spread out but they were all nearly in the same area which seemed weird as they will predate each other quite happily. I returned most back to the water and brought a few back home where I had prepared the tank for an evening session. As they grow, they darken and the bigger individual made for a tricky subject to photograph and getting the light right was a challenge. I shall post some in due course if they turn out alright. I spent some time then photographing another 2 Emperor nymphs, one at 20mm and a smaller one at 10mm in length. Being lighter in colour, this made for an easier challenge and using some prepared leaves for the background and base and settings f8-f16, manual mode, ISO 400, speed set to 250 and in camera flash used, I ended up with some pleasing shots of these superb nymphs. All will be returned back the following morning to carry on their lives and hopefully I can return again soon to see what else I can find and continue to try to improve on the shots I am taking and experiment with various settings. fingers crossed some of the other shots work out and I shall post these in the next few days.







Emperor Dragonfly Nymph (20mm)

12 comments:

  1. I like that background Marc, it works well. Whats with the Nymph in the last shot ? A Water Boatman ?

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    1. Thanks Warren, a couple of dead red leaves did the trick. Not sure of the little beasty in the last photo but he decided to photo bomb it. When he realises who he is next to, he might want to move quickly!

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  2. Very effective lighting - I like how their carapaces look slightly gilded but still translucent.

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  3. Many thanks Wilma. I might try the yellow leaves next to see their effect but pretty pleased with the results.

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  4. Pure filming, I love the colouring as background.

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  5. Thanks Bob. Always a challenge to get right but it seems to be working out in the right direction so far. Certainly helps to pass the dark evenings away and you even learn a bit as well.

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  6. Beautiful...
    Great details and colors.
    Cheers,
    JR

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  7. Amazing captures! Lovely colors and the details are stunning.
    Regards,
    Roos

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    1. Thanks Roos. Pleased with how they turned out and something to build on I hope for the next few sessions

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  8. Cracking set of images Marc, excellent lighting.
    Did the photo bomber make it?....[;o)

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    1. Many thanks. Yes, the photo bomber made it back into the wild where no doubt he will meet many more hunters after him.

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