Bob Shell wrote: > Do you have any special secret for getting so close to dragonflies? > The ones around here are so skittish that I am never able to get > really close to them.
Well, equipment helps - a 200mm macro, with the crop factor of the K10D or *ist-D, lets you shoot from 2.5 to 3 feet away - that's a huge help vs a 100 mm macro which, of course, would require you to get twice as close. That said, I always get low on the subject and crawl up to it from a low position - hard on the knees, but less likely to spook the subject. In addition, perching dragonflies - the pennants, meadowhawks, skimmers, - will usually return to the same perch. So when they fly off just when you get them in focus, just sit still and wait for them to return. That does not work with darners, clubtails, and other non-perching dragonflies. Move when they move. If the dragonfly is perched on a stalk of grass, and is bouncing around in the wind, it will have a hard time distinguishing you from the background - unless you are wearing plaid or some bright color. Lastly - patience. That Halloween pennant that Bill and I shot just could not sit still for a long time. Suddenly it decided that it was at the best perch, and just stopped. He kept returning to the same place time and time again. I had followed him for some time before that, so he obviously just reached the conclusion that we were harmless, and just started to ignore us. But - shooting bugs is basically a form of hunting, and patience is a part of that. HTH - MCC -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mark Cassino Photography Kalamazoo, Michigan www.markcassino.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
