Common Bluets Vying For the Perch.

[Daniel Cadieux]

A had a great time photographing dozens upon dozens of Common Bluets all wanting a piece of this single "perch" poking up from the water in a local pond a few weeks ago. It was pretty windy as well, therefore the damselflies that had managed to grab on to the stick would repeatedly get washed off by wavelets, only to have the race for it start again. Lots of awesome poses and interactions.

Canon 7DII + 500mm f/4 II + 1.4TC III, manual exposure, evaluative metering, 1/1600s., f/10, ISO 1600, natural light, handheld while lying prone on shore, about 80% FF.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Well done Dan, it can be surprising how good the 500 & TC can be for insect photography. The colours and composition look very pleasing and the heads of the two key subjects are well detailed......hope we will see some more!

[John Mack]

Looks great. Focus is right where it should be. The low angle is great. Really like the out of focus ones in the background.

[Ravi Hirekatur]

The image conveys the competition for the lone perch well. Beautiful colored bluets and selective focus works well. I like the blurry waves.

[Joseph Przybyla]

Very unique image, Dan. I wish I would have seen and photographed it. Lovely colors throughout. Thank you for sharing.