I saw this beauty on a hike in Lakeville, Massachusetts, USA, in the summer of 2024. It has been given the adjective “Halloween” because of its striking orange and brown/black coloration and “Pennant” for its tendency to attach to fragile, lightweight stalks of flora susceptible to waving in even the slightest wind; their wings, thus giving the appearance of little flags flapping in the breeze.

Patience was absolutely mandatory as I had to wait for infrequent spasms of perfect calm to quickly snatch an image before the next lengthy episode of turbulence made focusing nearly impossible (I also wanted to maximize sharpness by shooting at the lowest ISO possible so the foliage upon which he rested had to be motionless).

The difficulty presented by the airflow was somewhat mitigated by the innate behavior found in most dragonflies – they have a tendency to remain a relatively long time on particular leaves, branches, and other types of vegetation that appeal to them. And if they fly off, you can pretty much depend on them returning in a short amount of time (if you are looking for instant gratification in nature photography – whether wildlife or landscape – the chances are much greater that you will return empty-handed).

The vigil lasted long past an hour under those challenging conditions, but it was well worth the perseverence and resolve to be able to bring home just a few images of this breathtaking creature. Under the pleasant sunshine on this perfect day, it was far from a hardship. Finally, when using a lens of this considerable weight, I prefer to use a tripod for stability (smaller lenses like the 70-200mm can be handheld with confidence). Each photographer employs the technique with which they feel most comfortable, and I’m only expressing mine.

What are the TWO most impactful features that make your image a good photograph? Don’t be shy!

A dragonfly distressed by multiple water mites was troubling to witness, but it was a situation I can’t remember ever encountering in the past. The tiny blood-suckers don’t kill the dragon directly but can weaken them, making hunting more difficult. The other element I found personally fascinating was the nearly vertical pose. It was much more dramatic than most others I have documented with this type of insect.

If you could make this photo again, what would be the ONE thing you would like to do better or different?

I truly can think of nothing which would have resulted in improvement. The light was flawless, the forested backdrop assisted in making my lovely subject matter pop out beautifully and his unusual posture was wonderfully unique.

Paul Smith shared this photograph with the FRAMES Facebook Group.

Photographer

Paul Smith, New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA

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WEBSITE 2 (PORTRAITS)

Equipment and settings

150-600mm Sigma lens with 1.4x extender (850mm effective range).
ISO was 400 at f/16 @ 1/200th of a second.