Identifying dragonfly larvae to family

A couple of odonate exuviae were spotted in the bioswale (when it still retained water) at the head-end of the Hike-Bike Trail, Huntley Meadows Park. Both specimens are dragonfly exuvia, slightly less than 3/4″ long. I shot some quick-and-dirty still photos of the pair, as well as two sets of macro photos focusing on key anatomical parts.

Then I watched (and transcribed) the instructional video “Identifying dragonfly larva to family.” Be forewarned: Although the identification process is vocabulary-rich, the prerequisite terminology is well-illustrated in the video. Here’s the decision tree I used to make a tentative identification of the family.

• Aeshnidae and Gomphidae eliminated because both specimens have a mask-like labium.
• Cordulegastridae and Macromiidae eliminated because the teeth on the margins of the labium are relatively smooth.
• Libellulidae chosen over Corduliidae because of the shape of the anal pyramid and the absence of “curved hooks” on top of the abdomen.

Turns out I was correct — the exuviae are members of the Family Libellulidae (Skimmers)! Thanks to aquatic entomologist Celeste Searles Mazzacano, Ph.D., for verifying my tentative identification. The next (bigger) challenge: Learn how to identify odonate exuviae to the genus and species level.

ISO 800| 400mm (600mm, 35mm equivalent) | 0 ev | f/11 | 1/250s

The first two photos were taken using a Fujifilm X-T1 digital camera and Fujinon XF100-400mm telephoto zoom lens set for 400mm.

ISO 800| 400mm (600mm, 35mm equivalent) | 0 ev | f/11 | 1/250s

The next set of photos was taken using a Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter with my tripod-mounted Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 superzoom digital camera; the scene was lighted using the built-in pop-up flash and Nissin i40 external flash (off-camera, in video mode).

ISO 100| 28mm (155mm, 35mm equivalent) | -1.3 ev | f/7.1 | 1/3s

ISO 100| 28mm (155mm, 35mm equivalent) | -1.3 ev | f/7.1 | 1/160s

The following photo is my favorite in this subset.

ISO 100| 57mm (318mm, 35mm equivalent) | -1.3 ev | f/7.1 | 1/250s

Notice the teeth on the margins of the labium are relatively smooth.

ISO 100| 55mm (304mm, 35mm equivalent) | -1.3 ev | f/7.1 | 1/250s

The last set of photos was taken using a Raynox DCR-250 close-up filter with my tripod-mounted Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 superzoom digital camera; the scene was lighted using an off-camera Sunpak LED-160 Video Light (with a white translucent plastic filter) and Nissin i40 external flash (off-camera, in video mode).

ISO 100| 56mm (311mm, 35mm equivalent) | -1 ev | f/7.1 | 1/10s

ISO 100| 57mm (318mm, 35mm equivalent) | -1 ev | f/7.1 | 1/8s

The following photo is my favorite in this subset.

ISO 100| 30mm (164mm, 35mm equivalent) | -1 ev | f/7.1 | 1/6s

The last two shots are close-ups of the anal pyramid. Notice the cerci are less than half the length of paraprocts.

ISO 100| 28mm (158mm, 35mm equivalent) | -1 ev | f/7.1 | 1/8s

ISO 100| 56mm (311mm, 35mm equivalent) | -1 ev | f/7.1 | 1/8s

Related Resources

• Vimeo video: Identifying dragonfly larva to family (8:06)
• Anatomy of a Dragonfly Larva, annotated illustration courtesy Jay Smith
• Emerging Common Sanddragons
• Odonate exuviae (in situ)
• Full Circle
• Odonate Exuviae, by Walter Sanford

Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Don’t dismiss the “kit” lens!

What is a “kit” lens?

A kit lens is a “starter” lens which can be sold with an interchangeable-lens camera such as a single-lens reflex camera. It is generally an inexpensive lens priced at the lowest end of the manufacturer’s range so as to not add much to a camera kit’s price. The kit consists of the camera body, the lens, and various accessories usually necessary to get started in SLR photography. Source Credit: Kit lens, from Wikipedia.

I’ve been experimenting with the Fujinon XF18-55mm (27-82.5mm, 35mm equivalent) “kit” lens that was bundled with my Fujifilm X-T1 digital camera body, using the lens either by itself or in combination with a set of “Fotasy” brand extension tubes.

The first photo of a toy dragonfly was taken using the lens only. The working distance was approximately 12 inches (~30 cm), close to the minimum focusing distance for the lens.

ISO 800 | 55mm (83mm, 35mm equivalent) | 0.67 ev | f/16 | 1/250s

The next photo was taken using the kit lens combined with a 10mm extension tube. The working distance of the lens was reduced to approximately seven (7) inches (~18 cm)!

ISO 800 | 53mm (79mm, 35mm equivalent) | 0.67 ev | f/16 | 1/250s

At a focal length of 55mm, a 16mm extension tube reduces the working distance to several inches. The front lens element is so close to the subject that one must be careful to avoid scratching the glass! And you’ll need to move your external flash unit off-camera to avoid lens shadow.

The last photo shows my set of two Fotasy extension tubes. Each tube can be used individually or they can be stacked together: 10mm; 16mm; 26mm.

Macro extension tubes are inserted between the lens and the camera body and increase the distance between the lens elements and the sensor enabling users to focus on subjects much closer to the camera. Source Credit: Fujifilm Macro Extension Tubes MCEX-11 and MCEX-16.

“Fotasy” brand extension tubes for Fujifilm X Mount cameras.

So what’s the take-away from my experimentation? I should have tried using the lens sooner — its impressive performance far exceeded my expectations of a “kit” lens!

Tech Tips: All photos featured in this post were taken using a Fujifilm X-T1 and Fujinon XF18-55mm lens, mounted on a Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB tripod and Manfrotto 054 Magnesium Ball Head with Q2 Quick Release. The first two photos were lighted by a Fujifilm Shoe Mount Flash EF-42 that commanded an off-camera Nissin i40 external flash in “SF” mode. The scene in the third photo was lighted by a Fujifilm EF-X8 pop-up flash that commanded an off-camera Nissin i40 external flash in “SD” mode.

Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Flashback – reflecting upon nearly two years of flash photography

Once upon a time I was a photography purist: Every photograph I shot was taken in natural light. Then one day I had an epiphany: Fill flash brings out detail and enhances color, contrast, and sharpness. In a word, flash good!

I remember the day of my conversion from the dark side vividly. I was trying to photograph a Blue Corporal dragonfly (Ladona deplanata) during Spring 2013: Male Blue Corporals are dark blue and the subject was backlighted by the Sun; all of the photos I shot appeared to be underexposed and showed almost no detail. I decided to try using the built-in pop-up flash on my camera, and boom, the results were much better! For the rest of the year, I used the pop-up flash full-time.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

My love of flash photography began with the built-in pop-up flash on my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 superzoom camera. Eventually I came to realize the obvious: The pop-up flash is better than nothing but it’s underpowered in many (if not most) situations.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 pop-up flash.

Canon external flash units

Mid-way through 2014, I started experimenting with using external flash units for Canon digital cameras mounted on my Panasonic camera.

• Canon 580EX Speedlite (Guide Number: 58) plus Sto-Fen OM-EY Omni-Bounce plastic diffuser
• Canon 580EX Speedlite II (Guide Number: 58) plus Vello Bounce Dome plastic diffuser. (Note: The Canon 580EX II is slightly larger than the 580EX.)

Both Canon flashes are virtually identical and are compatible with every digital camera I own, including the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150, although the flashes must be used in manual mode.

Canon 580EX Speedlite (left) | Canon 580EX Speedlite II (right)

By experimentation, I quickly discovered three things:

1. Both Canon flashes work with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150 at any shutter speed. This is huge, especially since I prefer to shoot in shutter priority mode at faster shutter speeds.
2. Manual flash isn’t as hard to understand as I was led to believe.
3. The Canon 580EX works better with my Panasonic camera than the 580EX II. (For example, when the camera goes into power-saving mode, so does the 580EX flash unit; when the camera “wakes up,” so does the flash. In contrast, sometimes it is necessary to power-cycle the 580EX II in order to wake it from power-saving mode when it is mounted on my Panasonic camera.)

The following camera/flash settings are my usual starting point.

• Camera: ISO 100; Shutter Priority mode at 1/800s.
• Flash: Manual Mode; 1/16 power ratio; 105mm zoom.

Correct exposure is never more than a few stops away from these settings. (Note: On both 580s, every three clicks on the selection dial equals one stop of exposure.)

Fujifilm external flash units

I own several external flash units for my Fujifilm X-T1 digital camera.

• The Fujifilm EF-X8 (Guide Number: ~8) comes with the X-T1 camera body. Although the EF-X8 is almost as underpowered as the pop-up flash on my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150, it can be used to fire the Nissin i40 off-camera with the i40 set for “SD mode.”
• The Fujifilm EF-42 (Guide Number: 42) plus Sto-Fen OM-600 Omni-Bounce plastic diffuser enables TTL flash photography at shutter speeds equal to or less than the X-T1 flash sync speed of 1/180s (actually, 1/250s). The EF-42 can be used to fire the Nissin i40 off-camera with the i40 set for “SF mode.”
• The Nissin i40 (Guide Number: 40) enables both TTL flash photography at shutter speeds equal to or less than the sync speed, and high-speed sync with the i40 set for Manual mode. (Note: The Nissin i40 comes with a snap-on plastic diffuser, not shown in the following photograph.)

Fujifilm EF-X8 (left) | Fujifilm EF-42 (center) | Nissin i40 (right)

Flash accessories

The last photo shows a few of my favorite accessories for external flash photography.

• Ansmann battery storage box
• Sanyo eneloop AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries [More powerful, longer-lasting rechargeable batteries are currently available.]
• 6 1/2 ft (2m) Vello Off-Camera TTL Flash Cord ($33) [compares to 2 ft Canon OC-E3 Off Camera Shoe Cord ($65)]
• Yongnuo YN622C II Wireless Flash Trigger Transceivers

Accessories for external flash units.

One of my goals for 2016 is to experiment with on-camera versus off-camera flash using some of the accessories shown above.

Related Resources

• Lessons Learned: How to use a superzoom camera to shoot insect photos
• New tools for flash photography
• Digital Photography 1 on 1, by Mark Wallace: Flash Sync Speed (9:14)
• Daylight Fill-Flash – Sometimes changing the exposure just isn’t enough to get the shot, by Rick Sammon
• What I Learned from One Year Shooting Manual Flash, by Chris Gampat
• Canon TTL Flash Cord Works on Mirrorless Too, by Derrick Story

Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.