2408_1391 Depositing Eggs - a photo on Flickriver

2408_1391 Depositing Eggs

            Two mating dragonflies at a dugout in pasture land. Probably a species of meadowhawk, although I haven't found the time yet to go further with I.D. In mid-to-late August the insect activity accelerates into a frenzy: time is growing short, summer will soon end. Get it done!

Such a difficult shoot. There were numerous pairs locked together like this, the male clasping the female behind her head, evidently needing to stay close to fend off attention from other males wanting to contribute their genetic package to the mix. But the hardest part was getting them in focus, because they were bouncing like tennis balls across the water surface, the female dipping her ovipositor into the water surface for a fraction of a second each time: boing! boing! boing!

Impossible!

I shot about 85 frames, and my subjects were in focus for very few of them. Focus tracking was all about blind luck, although I suppose persistence played a role. This shot is heavily cropped and upscaled with ON1 Resize. I would have preferred to be lower, closer to eye level with this pair, if only for the better background (farther away), but the sides of the dugout were steep and muddy, and I didn't want to fall in. I got about three quarters of the way down the embankment and had to settle for that.

Tomorrow, another insect shot, a find that surprised me and will surprise you, too. Something very strange and unexpected!

Photographed at Rosefield, Saskatchewan (Canada).  Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.

Taken in: Canada / Saskatchewan / Rosefield (show map)

Taken on: August 20, 2024

Tags:

Dragonfly

Meadowhawk

two

male

female

mating

depositing eggs

water

dugout

pond

vertical

close up

wild

prairie

summer

Rosefield

Saskatchewan

Canada

copyrighted

James R. Page

2024 « less

Sets appears in: • Best 2024 • Insects & Arachnids

Groups appears in: • North American Nature & Wildlife Photography • Beautiful Bugs more » • Capture Nature / No human elements / No zoo or people shots • The Prairie Enthusiasts « less

Camera: Nikon D850, f/8.0, 1/2500 sec, 700mm, ISO 800 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D850
Lens:	500.0 mm f/5.6
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	1/2500 sec
Focal Length:	700mm
ISO:	800
Exposure Bias:	-0.33 EV
Exposure Program:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop 22.5 (Macintosh)
Show full info

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