Wednesday 26 July 2017

Dazzling Demoiselles at Sunset

Anyone following my site over the past few years will know that I do like a sunrise and sunset shot and with the weather looking very good Tuesday night with sunshine and very light winds forecast, I decided to drive over to Nethergong to see whether I could find any Banded Demoiselles to photograph. After parking up at 7.15pm, I took a walk along the stream where in the sunshine, Banded Demoiselles could be seen flying in good numbers. I spent a while looking for likely areas that they would roost in and  taking a few practice photos to see how they might come out. I really like the challenge of these type of photo sessions and believe it or not, there is quite a lot of homework to be done prior to getting the camera out of the bag. Its not just a case of turning up and clicking away. Around 8pm and with the sun starting to go down and the temperature dropping ever so slightly, I started to notice a number of Demoiselles starting to think about roosting and within 10 minutes or so, none were flying and the challenge really began. With the clock now ticking quickly, I started looking for likely individuals roosting that would be suitable and with most in the reeds roosting, it was even more of a challenge to find a place where I wasn't going to get soaked. After what seemed an age, I soon found a few roosting on grass heads and started to move in position to set up. A few annoyingly flew off but with some slow steady movements, I was able to get into a good comfortable position to start photographing.



Banded Demoiselle (male) at Sunset

As most will know, the sun sets pretty quickly so it was a hectic time firing off a number of photos and as the sun got lower in the sky, the brilliant colours of the sunset really started to come through. I changed the angle of the shot every now and then to move the sun around in the shot and before I knew it, the sun was disappearing below the horizon.



Banded Demoiselle (male) at Sunset

As I sat peacefully in the fading light looking over a few photos I had taken, I soon become aware that a second Banded Demoiselle was walking up the grass stem to the top. This was an opportunity too good to miss and after they had settled, I fired off a few more photos of them. I just wish I had managed to get both of them together earlier with the sun setting in between them but thats maybe another challenge for anther day.



Banded Demoiselles (males) at Sunset

 After the manic hour, I sat there briefly just enjoying the peace of the countryside before walking back to the car and onwards home. A superb session and one that I always normally enjoy. Just me, nature, peace and a few lovely experiences and photos. Brilliant!

10 comments:

  1. Your homework and experience paid off with wonderful these images. I actually prefer the last 3 shots with sun down lower and out of view.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many thanks Wilma. I had to wear sunglasses for most of these shots. Such was the brightness through the viewfinder of the camera.

      Delete
  2. Fabulous shots Marc. There just hasn't been too many days lately without that annoying wind blowing!! At least you made good use of the ideal evening.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The weather has been quite sporadic of late so it was nice to have a calm evening for photos. I find myself getting little snippets of photography when the chances arise.

      Delete
  3. Beautiful images of Banded Demoiselles in sunset, very well done Marc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many thanks Bob. Superb time to be out and an added bonus to get a few shots as well.

      Delete
  4. Wonderful images again, Marc. I'll nominate the last sunset image (clever!) and the last image of the pair (lucky!) as my favourites.

    I'm not sure whether to be most jealous of the variety of odonata you've got down there, or of the weather that you seem to be enjoying. Our weather has been rubbish since we got back from Hampshire.

    Best wishes - - - Richard

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many thanks Richard. Trust me, the weather has not been that good at all and it's been a case of going out when little spells of sun appear. I do spend a lot of time out in cloudy conditions looking for them roosting. Always a chance of a photo or two.

      Delete
  5. Your homework and experience paid off with wonderful these images. I actually prefer the last 3 shots with sun down lower and out of view.'


    thai porn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many thanks for your visit and comment. Much appreciated.

      Delete