At least 11 Cobra Clubtail dragonflies (Gomphurus vastus) were spotted during a photowalk with Michael Powell in Fairfax County, Virginia USA, including 10 females and one male. This blog post features photos of female No. 3 and No. 9.
No. 3
You know, some photos are better left on the cutting room floor. Like the first photo. At an aperture of f/5.6, the depth-of-field is too shallow to show both the head (soft) and tail (sharp) in focus.
Also, I think buttery soft bokeh looks better in the background than the foreground — the blurry light green grass stem in the lower-left corner would cause me to reject this photo nine times out of 10. In this case, I tried to “will” the photo to be good enough to use because I love the dew-covered vegetation.
Notice this individual’s battle-scarred wings. That’s a lot of wear and tear on a dragonfly that emerged relatively recently. She’s a survivor and you have to admire that!
08 JUN 2020 | Fairfax County, VA | Cobra Clubtail (female)
No. 9
The following photo was shot at an aperture of f/6.3 for more depth-of-field. The head looks better in this photo than the last one, but “pixel peepers” will notice it’s a little soft.
On the other hand, I like the colors and textures of the vegetation enough that this photo gets a passing grade.
08 JUN 2020 | Fairfax County, VA | Cobra Clubtail (female)
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Cobra Clubtail dragonfly, Family Gomphidae (Clubtails), female, Gomphurus vastus
July 29, 2020 at 8:39 am |
I think they are both really good photos, Walter, but I guess my grading standards are different. 🙂
July 29, 2020 at 9:42 am |
Thanks, Mike! I am my own worst critic.
July 29, 2020 at 1:35 pm |
Your self-criticism is shared by most photographers. When I view the work of others, I tend to see with a different “filter”. Your images are compelling because I am interested in the subject and my attention is focused on a dragon I have never seen.
Happy that you did not leave these on “the cutting room floor”!
July 29, 2020 at 1:49 pm |
Good to hear from you again, Wally! I was concerned I lost you.