An Autumn Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum vicinum) was perched along the boardwalk that goes through the central wetland area at Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.
This individual is a male, as indicated by his reddish coloration and terminal appendages.
14 OCT 2020 | Huntley Meadows Park | Autumn Meadowhawk (male)
The boardwalk deck and railings are a composite material made from recycled plastic milk bottles. In my opinion, those surfaces provide a “cleaner background” that enables the viewer to focus on the subject easier than if it were posed against a more natural setting. So if the goal is to teach people how to identify common odonates, then the boardwalk is an ideal “studio” for photographing dragonflies.
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Autumn Meadowhawk dragonfly, Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), Huntley Meadows Park, male, Sympetrum vicinum, terminal appendages
walter sanford's photoblog 
October 21, 2020 at 7:36 am |
You already know my preference for natural backgrounds, but I have to agree with you that for teaching identification, the clear, uncluttered background of the boardwalk works best.
October 21, 2020 at 8:54 am |
I would love to be a purist and vow to never photograph a subject against an “artificial” background, but experience has proven me to be a realist (as well as an unmitigated opportunist).
The Autumn Meadowhawk is no less handsome on that boardwalk than he would be on the end of a blade of grass. As you so capably prove.
Another day may offer a different opportunity.