PATIENCE, PATIENCE.. HAS ITS REWARDS
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6e_B7a500UbdwUROraqgQ2zQQqd5uVNNZMs5AtBiCXO-1uWKLRA22k-IvVnk8NciXrJNkG6oTrKIK7aLKdN6UtdbijGtVqoatyTGDf76nL21smhE_hPa6Uuc7Seh_tQpPa2ebZg-VlD8/s400/Lodge-Lk-Tr,-Snoqualmie-NF,.jpg) |
Indian Paintbrush grace the trail leading to Lodge Lake, Snoqualmie Wilderness, WA; 8/10/2012. |
Last weekend I posted some photos of a young one-legged Northern Harrier that I found along the trail leading to Lodge lake, in the Snoqualmie Wilderness just East of Seattle, WA. This weekend I'll feature some of the dragonflies and damselflies that I found at Lodge lake.
When I reached Lodge Lake, there were some good-sized dragonflies buzzing and hovering over the shoreline of the lake. I waited for many minutes for one of these guys to land on something so I could try to get a photo and ID, but they didn't land. They kept airborne. Sometimes they would hover over a spot for a few seconds, but mostly they cruised back and forth at varying speeds, making it very difficult for me to get a focus of one in my viewfinder.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixpIN6Z9jyJly6PoI7WVXR-1dP6q6xBSLnX35SUvqmY4CAeVh5JoRlTzXldcZudPG1jT_reuREmYtn_wo0ktRy0h3MCvoSiq28Op9Lf_1o-G0AqCewkq5grYWWJkLwBy6xXN89io6diiz/s320/1-dragonfly443.jpg) |
A Lance-tipped Darner appearing in my viewfinder, Lodge Lk, WA; 8/10/2012. |
After many minutes of trying to follow the path of one of these dragonflies (Above), I knew it would be in vain. Either they were too fast and sporadic for me to follow with my Sigma lens at its 500mm maximum zoom, or if I zoomed out to less magnification, I could not get any in focus, as they were too small and far away. So I tried a new tactic...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOpsaU8DyrLXT8vacVpHC10a4xybOFCGP6LNJku8BomYv5LR6Kpiceu9gm4ooNrF0_gr9ydDjRMhiRuhiKQXSwag04FlgAxmncfWDpxZO_sIu_hyphenhypheny-X8noc9qTLer-cWK4o14chzZAGCR/s320/2LncTpDarner.jpg) |
The same Lance-tipped Darner entering further into my viewfinder... |
My strategy was to locate a common spot that these dragonflies seemed to prefer. Then I chose a focus point as close to the spot as I thought a dragonfly might come close to. Then I waited (and waited...) for a dragonfly that was tending to hover instead of cruise, to come close to that area.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymaNJpkzCPEoxRgmE-t3SOIHs7CTXPaHoNleY0lUGzCtltMe6uwYtwmTRmsqKy0X98IDbEDiMiuN9KsIhH38WXJDAfEfkRiJHh2qLuy3kW-RFtgDyesmfvxgqhR3dn5FMlAIPxko54LHJ/s320/3BlkTpDarner.jpg) |
...the Darner almost completely in my viewfinder... |
Then I would raise my prefocused camera and aim it to the area hoping that the hovering dragonfly would wait long enough in that spot and be close to my prefocal point.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQWNrTDjj4k3VyLvcyuDKwacGiZT4w4KAbNDd-XcnjZosqbPk_53ivFDmRFaINB3q6Z6wjAqrK0FN4knEEPgPZAW7U-ax666s5yk_AIJfAjqFGMtI3m59JYuby1LINhx3x_pm89kwK1lj/s320/4LncTpDarner.jpg) |
...okay, he is now completely in my viewfinder, still hovering... |
Once I could locate the hovering dragonfly in my viewfinder, I fine-tuned the focus trying to find the sweet spot that would put it in focus.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpd_03jnvubi0QTkTZxA5818Z_WKLOynckPB-fzIYHa96z5uiGOfga8Fxa9vOMhkifPJ7BqXwsL5XvCOqOYOwgsS2YMATI7ZWxtR2rdbYw0XtoqGKkV_UCA6hKIqM4G1rW79qyUq1OuRY4/s320/5LncTpDarner.jpg) |
...getting closer to my focus... |
I started bursting my shutter at the same time keeping the dragonfly as close to the center of my viewfinder as I could, while fine-tuning the focus, as the dragonfly would keep changing its position, but luckily it was still hovering and not zooming off.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wZinL3ukXGnewXQ3smtkFE5yvzhWxM0W6ys-Dlhrg9xNA8o32RjwVCfQeGpXGYeKyLRoivTJW6IiLQqYjEUYfW_v7pRobbojfzNHjHEaOjFkmG8L6n_lDWmfLuIXSpgr3zRgYamN0bAJ/s320/7LncTpDarner.jpg) |
...still hovering, giving me a chance to fine focus... |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWV0ehnvbwU6mfVTmVOOq8XuYTNYy8SUHQx8mieB9rzanEreF3BLKONIlB3uXaVnJd8Akd5XDACa5FAo_AgNRaxkP_z1TSwA1lhkByovxl83EZ8wVOnWGw5MMODJ3xn4-yF6Wii6fmYYUx/s320/8LncTpDarner.jpg) |
... getting closer to a sharp focus... |
As I kept bursting, it suddenly moved into a nice focus, while I tried to keep my arms steady while trying to hold still a Sigma 150-500mm zoom lens on Canon Rebel EOS D7 body (over 6 lbs of equipment) for 15-20 seconds. But those of you who focus on a moving target while bursting, know when you think you captured a nice image, even while the shots are going by at 8 per second. I had that feeling, that I captured the shot (out of several dozens) that might be a good one.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN3QqYBtwyGsDXSjbidJ__zI8TTVn896Ln-OovjvCLfNFsZ4O6nUBDhh4Wwz1xoJ7IsTEx5YKFOK_GJz7mr1fk9DOti8hikaWCap3WcPQWkIbxbqFfD6PQKkMBuo6xPaiDuLm29udm0Hgx/s400/9Lancetipped-Darner,-Dragon.jpg) |
At last ... the Lance-tipped Darner, Lodge Lake, Snoqualmie Wilderness, WA; 8/10/2012. |
I think this is it (Above), the one shot out of at least 5 or 6 dozen attempts to get a decently focused image of a Lance-tipped Darner, the perpetual flyer, the one who wouldn't land, the "catch me if you can" Odonate member. Al;l the photos in this post came from the same series of bursts.
Of course, after getting this photo, I thought I could get another, and stayed for ten minutes more trying to capture another successful image. But alas, I didn't even come close to getting another dragonfly to hover into my viewfinder. Or to be more accurate, I couldn't get my viewfinder to find a hovering dragonfly.
As you can read, I have identified this Northwestern dragonfly as a Lance-tipped Darner, but being a very much beginner in dragonfly knowledge, I cannot be sure that this a Lance-tipped Darner, but it seemed to have the most similar traits of the all the dragonfly pics I researched.