Seeing the unseen

Close up we can see things not normally visible to the naked eye.  We can't see the spiky little hairs on the legs of a dragonfly, or the intricate web pattern of the wings.  Usually this is because the insect won't allow you to get close enough, or our eyes just don't have the resolving power at his minimum flight distance (how close you can actually get before the insect, bird, etc. decides that you represent some kind of probable danger to it's well being).  All creatures have a flight distance, even people.

There are a lot of photographers who, with great care and interminable patience, set up their equipment with macro (close-up) lenses on their tripod-mounted cameras to carefully stage these kinds of shots.  It takes both skill and a certain amount of luck, and many are quite good at it.

This image was made with a 400 mm lens mounted on a Canon 7D, DSLR, shot at whatever the minimum focal length allowable is on this particular lens—probably somewhere around ten or twelve feet.  This lens also has image stabilization, so it can be held without too much difficulty for brief periods without showing the effects of motion.  I personally find the telephoto lens to be a much better choice in non-magnification closeup situations as it less intrusive.

Dragonflies are fairly easy to shoot, because, if you stand still and pay attention, you will see that they return to almost exactly the same spot repeatedly.  They have a territory which they guard and, as a rule, will rest in two or more places at the extreme edges.  This brings up another interesting point about photographing anything.  A photographer needs to have some idea of what is going on with the subject being shot.  Can you imagine trying to shoot photos at a football game without knowing what is going on or ever having seen one?  It would be quite difficult.

After an image is made, I frequently research it further.  This dragonfly, fairly common, is called a "Blue Dasher".  You can even tell something about the weather here.  The hotter it is, the more the tail will be pointed upwards.  This is their method of cooling—reduce the surface area exposed to the sun.

Your photos are bound to improve if you know something about your subject.  Knowledge will increase your confidence.