There are of course a number of parallels between capturing good wildlife images, and having good expertise in Fieldcraft. Throughout this section of the website, we'll be looking to provide guidance on such techniques, on equipment used, and we'll share some great tips and tricks from others in this field
See the winning entry from Charlie HERE
I'll assume you already know of locations close to you where the damselflies are in abundance. Best way to get a good idea of what is flying in a particular area is to go along in the heat of the day and check the quantity and variety of damselflies. If the count is high then you know there is plenty of opportunity of finding these beasts early in the morning.
I've found the trick with taking static shots is not in the post processing but in waiting for the right weather conditions to allow you the opportunity of capturing the images. Damselflies can't fly when its cold, so right away you have the advantage of a captive subject. I find early or late in the season is best when we still have cool, dry nights.
It obviously means you have an early start, so you get your favorite spot when its still cool. Little or no wind also helps. The damselflies will be in the grass around the water. They can be up to 10-20 mts away from the water. You'll so get the hang of spotting them as you walk through the grass.
Now that you've found the subject you have to get the gear into position. Ideally you want to isolate the beast from its background... not always easy as it really depends where you find them. They move about on the grass stems but I've found you can position them by simply putting your hand close to get them to move one way or the other..... takes a bit of practice.
I use a Tamron 90mm macro lens which returns crisp sharp images. The shutter speed is always low due to the DOF required and low light conditions. That's why its important not to have a breeze. The image on the web was shot at 1/5s @ f/16. I also held a small white card just below the subject to reflect light onto the underside.... this lifts the overall image and gives it a metallic look........ you can see the white reflection along the underside of the body in the image. I was with this beast for about 10 minutes before it had enough warmth to fly off.
Post processing was simply a slight adjustment in levels, crop and sharpen. I obviously had a few deletes during the shoot sequence but
generally I always get a few I'm happy with. Give it a try... I've always found it quite an enjoying way to spend an hour or so.
Charlie McCartney