Test shots: Stylogomphus albistylus exuvia

Bob Perkins collected and reared an Eastern Least Clubtail dragonfly (Stylogomphus albistylus) nymph. This blog post features two focus-stacked composite images of the exuvia from the odonate nymph.

Nine photos were used to create the first focus stack. This small specimen features several easy-to-recognize field marks including large, dish-shaped antennae, distinctive color bands on the legs, lateral spines on abdominal segments eight and nine (S8-9), and terminal appendages tipped with a lighter color.

Eastern Least Clubtail (Stylogomphus albistylus) | exuvia (dorsal)

12 photos were used to create the last focus stack. This individual might be a male, as indicated by what appear to be vestigial hamules on the ventral side of the specimen.

Eastern Least Clubtail (Stylogomphus albistylus) | exuvia (ventral)

Related Resources

• More test shots: Stylogomphus albistylus exuvia
• Focus-stacking with CamRanger

Tech Tips

The following equipment was used to shoot all of the photographs for the two focus-stacked composite images, shown above: 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 create the focus-stacked composite images, as well as spot-heal and sharpen the final output.

Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Tags: Eastern Least Clubtail dragonfly, exuvia, Family Gomphidae (Clubtails), gear talk, hamules, high-speed sync, lateral spines, nymph, studio photography, Stylogomphus albistylus, terminal appendages