Unicorn Clubtail Dragon

[Ken Childs]

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p193/kjchilds/BPN/IMG_7847.jpg

Canon EOS REBEL XT
Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS @ 400mm
Manual mode
1/400"
F10
ISO: 200
Canon 430EX: On, Fired
LR & CS3

One of my favorite dragonfly names. It sounds like something out of Harry Potter. :)

A different angle to show the face would have been nice but that would have put me in the middle of the pond. I really like the shot anyway because of the empty exoskeleton on the underside of the leaf. The BG is clouds reflected in the pond.

I probably should have darkened the bright leaves. After hanging around here for a month or so, I find flaws in my photos/edits after I have uploaded them and am reviewing my posts. I hope I'm not the only one that does this. :)

[Julie Brown]

You are not the only one Ken. When I first started shooting digital I shot jpeg and didn't do any post-processing besides cropping. Then I got Lightroom and started shooting in RAW but I still just did basic exposure adjustments. I know more now from reading, practicing, and doing photo workshops, but it is amazing how much I have learned here in the week since I joined BPN! I am actually looking forward to going back into my archives to rework images.

Dragonflies are fun and challenging to shoot-makes me really want spring to come!

[Julie Kenward]

Ken, a lovely image (and so sunny!) Boy, I can hardly wait for spring to pop!

I don't mind the change up on the position of the df mostly because of that little guy hanging around underneath him! That really tells a story and draws my interest. I do find the brighter leaves a bit distracting but I'm not sure I'd like them darker because they will more than likely go gray on you. You might try adding a green photo filter in pp and erase it from everywhere but the leaves and see what that does for you.

I love the blue BG but the few small spectral highlights are also bothering my eye. I might just consider smoothing them out in this case as they aren't really strong enough to be a real highlight.

Thanks for making me remember what summer feels like! I sure need the boost since snow is moving in again tonight. :(:p:(

[Allen Sparks]

Cool shot Ken and I'm not familiar with this species. Love the left over nymph shell. I like how he seems to be surveying his territory.

[Anita Bower]

Beautiful BG. Love the two insects--caught my attention right away. (Oh, one is an exoskeleton. I still like it.) Yes, the leaves are a bit bright and distracting. I usually preview my images before the final posting. Sometimes, I stop there because I notice something in the image that is not right. On my blog, I sometimes take an image out that I just posted because it doesn't look right. We are learning to really see! That is the whole purpose of this forum (well, and to share, also).

[Ken Childs]

Cool shot Ken and I'm not familiar with this species. Love the left over nymph shell. I like how he seems to be surveying his territory.
I don't know if that shell belonged to this dfly, but it's nice to think so. :)