Test shots: Aeshna umbrosa exuvia

Bob Perkins collected and reared an unknown species of odonate nymph from a tiny stream in Carroll County, Virginia USA. The larva emerged from one of Bob’s holding tanks overnight on 23-24 November 2018 and metamorphosed into an adult male Shadow Darner dragonfly (Aeshna umbrosa). Shadow Darner is a member of the Family Aeshnidae (Darners). The following test shots show the exuvia from the odonate nymph.

Test shots of this beautiful specimen were taken using a relatively small aperture of f/16 for greater depth of field. Each photo is a “one-off,” that is, not a composite image. Focus stacks will be created sometime in the near future, after the exuvia is rehydrated and its legs are repositioned  for easier posing.

Lateral-ventral view

The focus point of the first photo is on the right eye. Given the orientation of the specimen, most of the exuvia is acceptably in focus at f/16. For what it’s worth, I really like the composition of this photo!

Notice the specimen has a flat labium (prementum) that doesn’t cover the face (not mask-like). That is a characteristic field mark of two families of dragonflies: Family Aeshnidae (Darners); and Family Gomphidae (Clubtails).

Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) | exuvia (lateral-ventral)

This individual is a male, as indicated by vestigial hamules that are visible on the ventral side of the specimen.

Dorsal view

The focus point of the next photo is on the head: the head is tack-sharp; the terminal appendages are in soft-focus. Sometimes it’s necessary to create focus-stacked composite images in order to render the subject in focus from head-to-tail and edge-to-edge.

Lateral spines on abdominal segments six to nine (S6-9) indicate this specimen is A. umbrosa.

Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) | exuvia (dorsal)

The focus point of the next photo is on the abdomen, just below the wing pads. Relative to the preceding photo, notice the head is slightly softer in focus while the terminal appendages are slightly sharper in focus.

Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa) | exuvia (dorsal)

Related Resources

• Post update: Aeshna umbrosa exuvia.
• Odonate Exuviae – a hyperlinked list of identification guides to many species of odonate exuviae from seven families of dragonflies and three families of damselflies.

Tech Tips

The following equipment was used to shoot all of the preceding photographs: 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); and Canon MT-26EX-RT Macro Twin Lite set for “Master” mode, and several external flashes set for “Slave” mode including Canon 580 EX- and Canon 580EX II Speedlites and a Godox TT685C Thinklite TTL Flash fitted with a Lastolite Ezybox Speed-Lite 2 flash modifier.

Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 was used to spot-heal and sharpen all three images.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Tags: Aeshna umbrosa, Carroll County, exuvia, Family Aeshnidae (Darners), gear talk, high-speed sync, labium, lateral spines, prementum, Shadow Darner dragonfly, studio photography, terminal appendages, vestigial hamuli, Virginia