Dragonfly sex
Monday, August 29, 2016
Dragonflies are amazing creatures. Spotting one is a joy. I find them either very elusive or far too curious; sometimes the first sighting is them whizzing off into the distance or they're settled three paces ahead and maintain a distance in front without pausing for more than a fraction of a second at any one time.
There are particular places where we have greater hopes of spotting a few, depending on season and weather conditions. You can't ever rely on seeing anything at all, so any chance sightings are a bonus. Of course, getting a photograph is the cherry on the cake, especially as I only shoot with my 50mm prime lens, so cannot zoom, plus I also operate on manual settings and focus.
Imagine my excitement when we unexpectedly encountered a pair of dragonflies flying around together in union over the river! From the small amount of research about dragonfly mating I carried out, it appears that after the main act of copulation they can fly around together to lay the eggs in the water. Dragonfly rituals can apparently be a rather brutal affair, but we caught this pair in the aftermath, once the main event was
It was astonishing to capture this moment on camera in reasonable quality, with the sunshine and the sparkles. Possibly the most exciting picture I have taken this summer - or maybe even ever!
They buzzed up and down along a rather short stretch of water, darting around in sweet synchronisation. I felt very lucky to have witnessed their fleeting moments together and to have been given the opportunity to immortalise the scene. Aren't they beautiful? What a treat.
Sophie
There are particular places where we have greater hopes of spotting a few, depending on season and weather conditions. You can't ever rely on seeing anything at all, so any chance sightings are a bonus. Of course, getting a photograph is the cherry on the cake, especially as I only shoot with my 50mm prime lens, so cannot zoom, plus I also operate on manual settings and focus.
Imagine my excitement when we unexpectedly encountered a pair of dragonflies flying around together in union over the river! From the small amount of research about dragonfly mating I carried out, it appears that after the main act of copulation they can fly around together to lay the eggs in the water. Dragonfly rituals can apparently be a rather brutal affair, but we caught this pair in the aftermath, once the main event was
It was astonishing to capture this moment on camera in reasonable quality, with the sunshine and the sparkles. Possibly the most exciting picture I have taken this summer - or maybe even ever!
They buzzed up and down along a rather short stretch of water, darting around in sweet synchronisation. I felt very lucky to have witnessed their fleeting moments together and to have been given the opportunity to immortalise the scene. Aren't they beautiful? What a treat.
Sophie
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