Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

It was fun doing this last year, and so here are some more dragonfly pictures from the summer.

When photographing a larger insect, I will usually take some pictures that focus on different parts of the subject. When the pictures are to be processed in Gimp, it is sometimes possible to cobble together a picture with greater depth of focus on the subject by using the lasso tool and various other tools to stitch various bits and pieces together into a single picture. At times this can take a lot of work, and there are many occasions where this approach is just not practical.
It seems an obvious thing to try out Zerene Stacker for this task, provided that the pictures are at the same angle and the background is well blurred. Most of the dragonfly pictures shown here were stacks of 2-4 focus bracketed pictures, taken from a standing or crouching position. The camera is a full-frame and the 100-400mm camera lens was resting on top of a "steadying stick". This is how I normally take pictures, and at the time I was still planning on maybe combining them by hand like I had always done. Selected pictures were instead combined in Zerene Stacker, and most touching up was from there. Hours of time was shaved to minutes, and as if it were necessary this is good testimony to the power of ZS!

The first three pictures are of a male twelve-spotted skimmer, Libellula pulchela. Males of this common species develop reflective white areas as they age. They frequently perch several feet off the ground, so pictures tend to be fore-shortened and so impossible to get good focus in a single frame. Easily remedied with this method!
Twelve-spotted skimmer by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Twelve-spotted skimmer by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Twelve-spotted skimmer by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Next are pictures of a beautiful male spatterdock darner, Rhionaeschna mutata. These large dragonflies were fairly common in certain places this summer, although I had not seen many previously. Swift and powerful fliers, they do not at first seem inclined to land. But if one waits with some patience, they in fact will land and when they do they are fairly easy to approach for pictures. The first image is stacked from two pictures, but the second picture is a single frame that was good on its own.
Spatterdock darner by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Spatterdock darner by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

The final picture is a new species for me (always very exciting to have that!). This is a four-spotted skimmer, Libellula quadrimaculata, I think it is a female. So far this is the only example I have of this species.
Four-spotted skimmer by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Wonderful examples and images!

EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England

Beautiful images of beautiful dragons.

Pysanka Artist Loc: Rochester, NY

Beautiful!! I like your new find the best!

rwilson1942 Loc: Houston, TX

docshark Loc: Millersville, PA

Great set Mark. Not enough superlatives to describe these outstanding shots. The Rhionaeschna mutata was our target species at the national meeting of the DSA when we held it at Penn State. What a beautiful species.

Went out with a bunch of guys down here in Texas the other day. Would not have believed it if I had not gone. Dragons flying at 33º!! Swarms of Anax junius. Our flight season is pretty much done back in DE.

Well done my friend.
-Doc

raymondh Loc: Walker, MI

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Pure excellence in every possible way.

Moondoggie Loc: Southern California

Excellent capture! Thank for sharing.

napabob Loc: Napa CA

another well done series, with good info

JeffDavidson Loc: Originally Detroit Now Los Angeles

Beautifully done.