Common Baskettail (teneral female)

A Common Baskettail dragonfly (Epitheca cynosura) was spotted near Painted Turtle Pond during a photowalk at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA.

26 APR 2018 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Common Baskettail (teneral female)

This individual is a teneral female, as indicated by her tenuous wings and relatively short, straight terminal appendages.

26 APR 2018 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Common Baskettail (teneral female)

Spring 2018 has been slow to spring in the mid-Atlantic USA, as evidenced by the fact that the first Common Baskettails were spotted at Painted Turtle Pond beginning in mid-April 2017.

26 APR 2018 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Common Baskettail (teneral female)

Related Resources

• Late-stage emergent baskettail dragonfly, 13 April 2017 at OBNWR.
• Common Baskettail dragonfly (male), 13 April 2017 at OBNWR.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Good luck charm

I noticed a golden/yellow horseshoe painted on both sides of a tree and thought, “This might be my lucky day.” Turns out the good luck symbol proved to be prophetic.

23 APR 2018 | Hemlock Overlook Regional Park | Horseshoe Trail

A yellow horseshoe is the trail marker for Horseshoe Trail at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park. Part of Horseshoe Trail is co-located with Union Mill Trail (marked in red); the latter leads to Popes Head Creek.

A Springtime Darner dragonfly (Basiaeschna janata) was spotted along Popes Head Creek, just downstream from what appears to be either a natural dam or beaver dam.

Habitat: Woodland streams and rivers with some current; also at beaver ponds along stream course… Source Credit: Paulson, Dennis (2011-12-19). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides) (Kindle Locations 4063-4064). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.

23 APR 2017 | Hemlock Overlook Regional Park | Springtime Darner (male)

This individual is a male, as indicated by his terminal appendages and indented hind wings.

The preceding photo is full-frame, that is uncropped. Springtime Darners can be quite skittish. In this case, I was very close to the unusually cooperative model. A follow-up blog post will be published after I edit a large set of photos of this individual.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Swift River Cruiser exuvia

A late-stage emergent teneral female Swift River Cruiser dragonfly (Macromia illinoiensis) was spotted on 27 May 2017 along the Potomac River at Riverbend Park in Fairfax County, Virginia USA. The exuvia was collected, with permission from park staff, after the female flew away from the place where she metamorphosed from a nymph to an adult.

No. 1 | 27 MAY 2017 | Riverbend Park | Swift River Cruiser (female)

The next image is a composite of 35 photos. The specimen is perfectly in focus from head-to-tail, including the legs.

No. 2 | Swift River Cruiser (Macromia illinoiensis) | exuvia (dorsal)

The last image is a composite of eight photos. The focus point for each photo in the set is limited to the body only. Surprisingly, all six legs are acceptably in focus except for the tip of the left hind leg.

No. 3 | Swift River Cruiser (Macromia illinoiensis) | exuvia (ventral)

The official early-date for Swift River Cruiser dragonfly is 08 May in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Since the early-date for Royal River Cruiser dragonfly (Macromia taeniolata) is 15 May, the exuvia helps to confirm the identity of the adult is Swift River Cruiser. 10 October is the late-date for both species.

Related Resource: Swift River Cruiser (emergent female).

Tech Tips

Photo No. 1 was taken using my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 superzoom bridge camera plus Canon 580EX Speedlite, my go-to kit for photowalking.

The following equipment was used to shoot Photo No. 2 and 3: Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, in manual mode; Kenko 20mm macro automatic extension tube; Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro lens (set for manual focus); Canon MT-26EX-RT Macro Twin Lite set for “Master” mode, and Canon 580 EX- and Canon 580EX II Speedlites set for “Slave” mode.

Photo No. 2-3 are focus-stacked composite images created using Adobe Photoshop CC 2017.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

A good spot for spiketails and emeralds

21 APR 2017 | Huntley Meadows Park | Little Hunting Creek

The preceding photo shows a view of the forest, seen from the banks of Little Hunting Creek as it flows through Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA. The forest floor is carpeted with Spring Beauty wildflowers (Claytonia virginica).

Little Hunting Creek is a good place to look for Twin-spotted Spiketail dragonflies (Cordulegaster maculata). Arrowhead Spiketail dragonflies (Cordulegaster obliqua) and Mocha Emerald dragonflies (Somatochlora linearis) have been observed at the same site.

Tech Tip: I used my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 superzoom camera to shoot the landscape photo featured in this blog post. The camera was set for manual focus at the hyperfocal distance for an aperture of f/4, based upon the instructions provided in the excellent video tutorial by Graham Houghton, “Panasonic Lumix FZ camera easier manual focus method — super point-and-shoot tip.”

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Turtle shell

The following photo shows a shell from an unknown species of dead turtle that was spotted at Painted Turtle Pond during a photowalk at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA.

18 APR 2018 | Occoquan Bay NWR | turtle shell

The Backstory

I visited several sites in Northern Virginia in search of adult odonates (dragonflies and damselflies). I saw two Common Green Darner dragonflies (Anax junius) hawking smaller insects over a small field at my second stop; no odes were spotted at the other two stops. The start of ode-hunting season has been delayed by an unusually cool/cold spring in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The Common Green Darners that I saw are probably migratory, rather than “home grown.”

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Another focus stacking face-off

Here’s another face-off between a single macro photo and a focus-stacked composite image. Let’s start with the composite image this time.

The first example is a composite image created from 14 photos.

American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana) | exuvia (ventral)

In a recent blog post, I wrote…

My goal is to shoot the fewest number of photos (using a relatively small aperture such as f/18) that will show the entire specimen in focus when the photo set is focus-stacked to create a composite image. Source Credit: More Calico Pennant exuvia composite images.

I used to shoot several photos of a single focus point, e.g., the prementum, and select the sharpest image for editing/focus stacking. Now I’m using a wider aperture such as either f/11 or f/8 (for sharpness), shooting more photos, and using every photo that I take. My rationale is simple: A single photo may not be the sharpest photo of a single focus point, but it probably shows other areas that are in focus. In this case, I think more “raw material” is better than less.

The last example is one of the better photos from the set of 14. When you click on the images they open in a new tab automatically. Toggle back-and-forth between tabs and I think you will agree the composite image is clearly better than the following single photo.

American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana) | exuvia (ventral)

The Backstory

An American Rubyspot damselfly (Hetaerina americana) nymph was collected by Bob Perkins on 06 August 2017 along the New River in Grayson County, Virginia USA. The nymph was reared in captivity, albeit briefly, until it emerged on 09 August 2017.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Why focus stack macro photos?

Why focus stack macro photos? The answer is obvious: The difference between a single macro photo and a focus-stacked composite image is like night and day.

The first example is one of the better photos from a set of 13. It is the same photo that is featured in Hetaerina americana exuvia, my identification guide for American Rubyspot damselfly exuviae.

American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana) | exuvia (dorsal)

The last example is a composite image created using all 13 photos in the set.

American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana) | exuvia (dorsal)

You may not notice the difference in quality unless you look at the full-size version of both images. When you click on the images they open in a new tab automatically. Toggle back-and-forth between tabs and I think you will agree the composite image is clearly better than the single photo.

The Backstory

An American Rubyspot damselfly (Hetaerina americana) nymph was collected by Bob Perkins on 06 August 2017 along the New River in Grayson County, Virginia USA. The nymph was reared in captivity, albeit briefly, until it emerged on 09 August 2017.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Focus stacking workflow

By trial and error, the workflow that I use to create focus-stacked composite images has been refined to its current semi-steady state. My goal for the workflow is to maximize efficiency and minimize unexpected results. I’m not saying this is the best way to focus stack images, but it is the best way I have found to do it…so far. Suggestions for improvement are invited and welcome.

Photo editing using Apple Aperture… [or Lightroom]

Although Apple discontinued development of/support for Aperture years ago, the desktop application still works and in many ways I prefer Aperture over Lightroom.

Make all necessary edits/adjustments to one photo except Spot & Patch, Vignette, and BorderFX (a plug-in for Aperture). This process works because I shoot the entire photo set for a composite image using manual exposure and manual flash. Add metadata (IPTC and Keywords).

• Right-click on the photo; select “Lift Adjustments.” <Replace> <Stamp Selected Images>.
• Right-click on the photo; select “Lift Metadata.” <Replace> <Stamp Selected Images>.
• Select all images for focus stack; Photos / Edit with Adobe Photoshop CC 2017.app…

Editor’s Note: Aperture seems to “choke” when too many photos are selected to send to Photoshop. Alternate procedure: Select the images (to be focus stacked); export as TIFFs (16-bit), 300 dpi; save in folder entitled either “TIFF” or “TIFF versions.”

Focus stacking workflow using Adobe Photoshop…

Launch Photoshop.

• File / Scripts / Load Files into Stack…; either Add Open Files <OK> or browse to the location of the folder where the TIFF files are saved. Do not check the box for “Create Smart Object after Loading Layers.” By default, Photoshop creates a new document called “Untitled1”; either rename the document or leave it as is.
• Select all layers.
• Edit / Auto-Align Layers; Auto <OK>.
• Edit / Auto-Blend Layers; Stack Images, Seamless Tones and Colors <OK>.
• Duplicate all masked layers to a new document [backup copy].
• Select Untitled1: Layer / Merge Layers (Photoshop merges all layers into one TIFF, named after the first file in numeric sequence.)
• Straighten and Crop as necessary.
• Duplicate the layer [or drag the layer to the copy icon (at the bottom of the Layers panel)].
• Spot image (zoom in): Spot Healing Brush: 27-54 pixels, Content-Aware.
• Duplicate the layer [or drag the Spot layer to copy icon].
• Select the top layer: Filter / Other / High Pass…; adjust the radius until you can just see an outline of subject <OK>; change Normal to Overlay. Don’t oversharpen! I set the radius to around 5.4 pixels or less for composite images; ~1.5 pixels for single photos.
• Duplicate the finished layers to a New document, temporarily called “Temp1.”
• Save documents: Untitled1 (Save As… TIFF); backup copy of masked layers (Save As… PSD); Temp1 (Save As… PSD; change name to Untitled1.psd after the file is saved).
• Import the composite TIFF file into Aperture [or Lightroom]: add additional keywords, as appropriate; Export using BorderFX.

Adobe Photoshop | High Pass Filter

Related Resource: High Pass Filter: Ep 134: Exploring Photography with Mark Wallace (10:13).

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Post update: Phanogomphus lividus exuvia

Phanogomphus lividus exuvia, my identification guide for Ashy Clubtail exuviae, was updated to feature two new annotated high-magnification macro composite images.

• Photo No. 1: The specimen was rehydrated/relaxed in order to reposition the front legs for an unobstructed view of the prementum, especially the median lobe of the labium.
• Photo No. 2: A close-up view of the anal pyramid (terminal appendages) verified the “superior caudal appendage (epiproct) is as long as inferiors (paraprocts).”

The first image is a composite of six photos that shows a ventral view of the prementum.

No. 1 | Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (prementum)

Editor’s Note: Sincere thanks to Sue and John Gregoire for guiding me to the location of the median lobe.

The last image is a composite of 15 photos that shows a dorsal view of the abdomen; the inset image is a selection from a composite of 10 photos that shows a ventral view of the anal pyramid.

No. 2 | Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (anal pyramid)

The Backstory

An Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus lividus) nymph was collected by Bob Perkins. (The date and location where the specimen was collected are unknown.) The nymph was reared in captivity until it emerged on 21 March 2017 and metamorphosed into an adult female. This specimen is the exuvia from the nymph. P. lividus is a member of the Family Gomphidae (Clubtails).

Tech Tips

The following equipment was used to shoot all of the photos for the preceding composite images: Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, in manual mode; Canon MP-E 65mm Macro lens (manual focus only, set for f/8 at either 2x or ~3x magnification); Canon MT-26EX-RT Macro Twin Lite set for “Master” mode; and Canon 580 EX- and Canon 580EX II Speedlites in “Slave” mode.

Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 was used to create the composite image by “round-tripping” with Apple Aperture.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

P. lividus prementum

The following image shows a composite of six photos of the prementum for an Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus lividus) exuvia. The composite is one of at least two new images that will be annotated and used to update Phanogomphus lividus exuvia, my identification guide for Ashy Clubtail exuviae.

Ashy Clubtail (Phanogomphus lividus) | exuvia (prementum)

The Backstory

An Ashy Clubtail dragonfly (Phanogomphus lividus) nymph was collected by Bob Perkins. (The date and location where the specimen was collected are unknown.) The nymph was reared in captivity until it emerged on 21 March 2017 and metamorphosed into an adult female. This specimen is the exuvia from the nymph. P. lividus is a member of the Family Gomphidae (Clubtails).

Tech Tips

The following equipment was used to shoot all of the photos for the preceding composite image: Canon EOS 5D Mark II digital camera, in manual mode; Canon MP-E 65mm Macro lens (manual focus only, set for f/8 at ~3x magnification); Canon MT-26EX-RT Macro Twin Lite set for “Master” mode; and Canon 580 EX- and Canon 580EX II Speedlites in “Slave” mode.

Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 was used to create the composite image by “round-tripping” with Apple Aperture.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.