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Dragonfly Chase
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Dragonfly Chase

by Roger Leekam

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted July 10, 2013155 views5 comments
Canon7D,70-300lens,1/1600sec,ISO500,f7.1. High bright cloud.some sharpening in PS.
Blue Dasher chasing Pondhawk. These two were going for each other like World War II aces. Is it sharp? After looking at an image many times I begin to imagine things.

Comments

5 comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on July 10, 2013 at 9:29 PM
Amazing that you got both guys in flight, Roger, and in the same plane of focus. I can only imagine how hard it is to get an image like this. I really like the blue/green colors, and the fact that you have two varieties. Their position in the frame is excellent, and the bg works well. As for sharpness, that is all relative. They are both pretty darn sharp for flying DFs, especially for two of them in the same image. My only issue with the image is that I see some odd noise around both DFs, especially noticeable in the larger view. Not sure what is causing it. Excellent capture, thanks for sharing. :toast:
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
Comment posted by Roger Leekam on July 11, 2013 at 6:49 AM
Thanks, Scott. The noise you noticed is the result of my sharpening efforts. 1/1600sec is probably too slow for DF flight but had to be used because of the light. I sharpened with High Pass in PS but this increased background noise, so I blurred the background with a combo of Viveza & the blur tool. I'm going to try skipping High Pass & using Viveza on the DF's.
Registered on May 28, 2009, 83 Posts, 646 Comments
Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on July 11, 2013 at 3:39 PM
Wonderful capture. Maybe not perfectly sharp, but I agree with Scott, it is great for flying DFs.
D&L
Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments
Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on July 12, 2013 at 3:52 PM
Amazing capture, Roger, of two different dragonflies in flight! Not perfectly sharp, but as others commented, it is very well done for flying dragonflies. :smile:
Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on July 13, 2013 at 6:42 PM
A truly remarkable capture, many kudos for that, especially without flash or a trigger. Your 1/1600s exposure looks like it did a fine job on the DF's. I don't know how your camera is for noise, but I'd think about using a higher iso and f/8 or f/10 for a bit more dof at the same shutter speed.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments