There Be Dragons

[MarkBarbieri]

Well, the miniature, non-fire breathing versions.

I was on a corporate retreat at a lakeside lodge earlier this week. The place was swarming with dragonflies. They were a little more shy than the ones in my area, but I managed to get a few nice shots.

There isn't a lot of technique to it. They like to land in the same spot over and over. I think they fly a circuit. Set up near a spot that seems popular. Find an angle with nothing behind it. That cuts down on distracting backgrounds.

It helps to have a long macro lens. I think the 180mm macros are ideal for this. Not having one, I took a different approach. I used a 300mm lens. To get in close, I added 1.4x teleconverter and a 25mm extension tube.

I shot in AV mode using an aperture between f/11 and f/16. You might think that is too narrow an aperture and will lead to too much DOF, but it doesn't. With macro shooting, you need these small apertures to get enough of your subject in focus. The background, provided that you got an angle with nothing behind your subject, will still be blurry. A flash is also helpful. A tripod isn't a must, but I find that it helps. A monopod would probably have done just as well.

I did my post processing in Lightroom. I tend to knock down the highlights. A polarizer probably would have helped, but I didn't have the one for my 300mm with me. Push the clarity way up to bring out the detail in their wings and other features. Crank up the vibrance to show off their outrageous colors.

 

[Luvscrappin]

Very nice!

 

[Ninja Mom]

Delicious!

Thanks for explaining how you accomplished this.

 

[wdwmom2]

I love dragonfly photos. Yours are great!!!

 

[mom2rtk]

Amazing!

 

[kgreen]

Wow!! very well done

 

[YesDear]

Great shots as always Mark. And as always you are teaching as well. Showing that in photography there are many ways to get the results you want. No macro lens; use a telephoto!

 

[HPS3]

Mark, I love you're photos. I think it's awesome that you post the how to's.

 

[My2Girls66]

Wow!

 

[lisajl]

Those are AMAZING!

 

[SunDial]

Very nice pics.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Great work, Mark!! I love your explanation. It shows with a little thought and lots of knowledge there is more than one way to get the shot.

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

Great job!

Love your work Mark as always.

 

[KCmike]

Love the first one and the one with the yellow background. Nice work.

 

[corgi_monster]

Gorgeous! Thank you for the macro tips. I've been looking into purchasing one and seeing those amazing pics definitely helps me justify the cost

 

[MarkBarbieri]

Gorgeous! Thank you for the macro tips. I've been looking into purchasing one and seeing those amazing pics definitely helps me justify the cost

If you are thinking about macro, I suggest that you try an inexpensive close-up filter or extension tubes first. That's a lot cheaper than buying a dedicated macro lens. It's more work and the image quality isn't as good, but it is a good way to see if you really want to get into macro or not.

I have three ways to shoot macro - a 100mm macro lens, a close-up filter, and extension tubes. I use all three about equally. The close-up filter is nice to toss in my bag "just in case". I put in the extension tubes when I don't have the room or desire to carry the macro lens and I want to use a lens that doesn't work with the close-up filter or I want the ability to do more extreme macro. I use the macro when I am pretty sure I intend to shoot macro. My point is that the other options aren't really all that bad and they are a good way to get started. The above shots are an example of that. Instead of a macro lens, I just used a telephoto lens I was already bringing and added an extension tube. I also added a teleconverter, which helps a bit in getting more magnification.

You can get cheap close-up filters on eBay for very little money. I don't image that they are all that good, but it's a good way to test the concept. Close-up filters screw onto the front of your lens. You don't have to match brands. I know several Nikon shooters that use Canon close-up filters. I also recommend Kenko or other "off brand" extension tubes. There is no glass involved, so the image quality doesn't really vary by brand. The extension tubes have to match your camera mount, so make sure you get the ones for your camera system, regardless of who makes them.

If you do decide to buy a macro lens, you have to think about things a little differently. The most common focal lengths for macro lenses are 50mm, 100mm, and 180mm. The longer lenses don't let you magnify things more. Instead, they let you get the same magnification from a greater distance. You want to pick your focal length based on how far you plan to be from your subject. The 50mm is the best for table-top macro. The 180mm is the best for shooting butterflies and stuff that you don't want to "spook". The 100mm is a compromise and works nicely as a portrait lens. I use my 100mm a lot for baby shoots as well.