Photographer's Journal: Dragonflies

                       
                            

Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa), female

So... I was photographing at the quarry along Hwy 165 just north of Camp Hardtner, and this beautiful dragonfly obliged by posing for me.

Actually, NOT. She flitted around, stopping just long enough for me to get the telephoto lens in focus, then took off again before I could release the shutter.

But I finally got a couple of shots in focus, this being the pose that best shows her marks and colors. Yes, it is a she. With a little help from a small but enthusiastic band of dragonfly photographers on Google+, I identified the species, then from Wikipedia learned that this is a female.

A week later I was able to photograph a male of this species between two of the Three Sisters Lakes at Camp Hardtner. His markings are red and I'll post him soon.

And thus I discovered the great fun and challenge of photographing dragonflies! More to come.