Emperor Dragonfly: How I took this photograph
Вставка
- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- In this film I explain the challenges and solutions I have found in photographing the Emperor Dragonfly in flight. This is one of the most challenging wildlife photography subjects due to it's fast flight and relatively small size. Come along with me and see how I managed to capture this beautiful insect.
#WildlifePhotography #Nature #Nikon #Telephoto #Insects #Dragonflies
See higher resolution photos on Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/martins...
About me:-
My name is Martin Sepion. I have a passion for nature and photography. I am based in Leytonstone, London.
Connect:-
Twitter: @Martin_Sepion
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/martins...
email: wildleytonstone@gmail.com
Equipment:-
Photographic:
Benro Slim lightweight tripod
Benro Mach3 Tripod
Zoom H5 Field recorder
Nikon Zfc
Nikon D500
Nikon Z6
Nikkor 200-500mm 5.6 lens
Laowa 100mm f2.8 Macro lens
Software:
Photographs processed with Darktable
Film editing done in Shotcut
Focus stacking done with Picolay - Розваги
I didn't even know that dragonflies have patrol routes. That's really helpful to know.
"Lexx, hold still for a photo!"
"I can't do that, Stanley."
😁
I use the r5 and the RF100-500 lens to make easy work of dragons. The 100-500 has a minimum focus distance of just under 4 ft, so you can get the dragon large in the frame. Then just follow them to good light and background and you can nail the shot. Since you are a nikon shooter, then the new z8 and that 100-400 zoom lens, which as an even closer minimum focus distance, and you will be nailing them after a bit of practice. It does take a bit of time and practice to get used to mirrorless.
Thankyou. I really enjopyed your sharing of thoughts and experiences - more of a chat than a lecture, which suits me. Left school a looong time ago 🙂 You're right - patience, observation and planning matter. I only realised this year that a lot of these insect fly a regular route. ..
Thanks for your feedback David. Good luck with your photography. Cheers
Love this video. Great explanation of the process, watch the animal's behavior, undestanding it. Amazing
Thank you for your feedback Ismael
Great in depth explanation! Nice shots!😊
Great wildlife photography tips, thanks 👍😊
Thank you Thomas
Interesting info, thank you.
Everything you've said I 100% agree with
Knowing the behaviour of dragonflies
Manually focusing on static dragonflies works better personally.
Static subjects at 300mm 1/500sec F8
Manual focus
Moving subjects at 300mm 1/1000 F8
Auto focus AF-C and I use my ISO to control my exposure.
Thank you for your feedback Karl. I am looking forward to summer when we can photograph dragonflies again.
Beautiful🇬🇧👋💯💖😁😊🔥🥰👍🍻
Thank you 👍
Brilliant Video, Very Helpful and Informative. Many Thanks For Sharing.
Thank you for your kind feedback.
Very useful video, thanks. I've had some success with stationary dragonflies but not on the wing. Look forward to giving it a try - their flight patterns seem so erratic. I saw an Emperor take a butterfly mid flight which would have made an awesome pic, if only I could have captured this...
Thank you for your feedback Andrew. Good luck with your in flight pictures.
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
I have a D500 + the 200-500. It only gets used for birding/ larger wildlife as i think the D500 lacks resolution for me with insects on that lens at its minimum focal distance, not bad for butterflies. I tend to use my A7r3 these days with the Laowa 100mm and a diffused flash. Also the harsh sunlight ruins dragon fly images and other shiny insects in my opinion, the 200-500 is great in sunny bright conditions for non flash higher shutter speeds at lower ISO on non shiny subjects. But when it comes to shiny insects, i usually shade them and used diffused light to bring out the micro contrast or even better in overcast days as the insects slow down a little. PS. looks like you have a nice little nature spot.
1:03
@@UrbaneHobbit What about 1:03 ?
I use the Laowa 100mm too. It is a nice sharp lens. All the photos in this film were shot with the D500 and the 200-500mm Nikkor lens. If I remember rightly they were all taken at 500mm. The filming was done near my home at Leyton Flats. You are right about bright light. A diffuser is the best option if possible. Cheers.
I have a gun site fitted to the foot on my Panasonic 100 - 300mm mk2 lens. It is mounted using the foots ring, so it is in line with my left eye and I use it in conjunction with the camera viewfinder. The two images are merged by my brain, and the green dot light of the lens appears in the viewfinder image at the same time. Because of parallax error it needs to be calibrated for the appropriate distance, be it birds or insects. This is only totally accurate at the calibration distance, therefore I put the spot a little higher or lower, if I think they are closer or further.
It still requires a load of patience though.
Sounds like a good solution although I imagine it takes a bit of getting used to.
Really nice capture; dragonflies are super challenging to capture in flight. Their movements are super difficult to predict. By the way, this is NOT a dragonfly; it’s a damselfly. The elongated body and double-wings are characteristic of a damselfly.
Thanks for the feedback and the information John.
Interesting video. I use a 7D2 for dragons in flight at the moment and for the large dragons lie emperor and hawkers I use manual focus. It took a bit of learning flight patterns but I now have a high hit rate. For the small dragons I tend to look for their preferred perch and set focus for where they are coming in to land or take off. All shot handheld but the latter I feel I may have better results if I was less lazy and took my tripod out of the boot
It is great to do it by studying behaviour and practice rather than rely on technology. More rewarding.
Thanks for this Phil.
@@Walkinginthewoods Enjoying your videos. Lots to learn from
Do you think I can do that with only 200mm f4? 😬
Villiam, that would depend on different things like the closest distance your lens can focus.
Also if you can get quite near to dragonflies then the autofocus has a better chance of locking on.
@@Walkinginthewoods 0.15m nearest focus
I think you could get some good pictures of a dragonfly with a 200 f4. The trick is to sit still in a place where they will fly by. Good luck.
Good image
In the future - You should consider doing this in a slide show format - this was too drawn out and boring in some cases - keep it simple and succinct KISS
Thanks for the feedback Kevin