In my backyard (Sympetrum corruptum)

frons

A few Sympetrum corruptum were in my backyard, but I couldn't get much closer than six feet without scaring them off. They usually perch low to the ground, so I had to lay flat on the ground and approach a few inches at a time, hand-held.

#1 Here is a female on a leaf


#2 Here is a mature male with blood-red markings blending in with fall colors


#3 I'm not really a fan of this kind of portrait, but out of curiosity I approached until I was able to get within the close-focus range of my lens, 1:1

Lord Vetinari

Worth the crawl - lovely captures
Brian v.

GOLDENORFE

nice low shooting angles, worth the effort
phil

frons

Thanks for comments. It is a bit ironic that I have never gotten as close a shot of S. corruptum where I normally shoot them as I got in my own backyard.

Capularis

Great shots and a co-operative subject!

Just a general comment on dragonfly/damsel fly eyes - why do they never appear in focus? Even when they are in the correct plane, they seem to have this soft, de-focused look to them.

paddler4

Frons--I have found the same thing: some species of dragonflies and damselflies are much less skittish when they are approached at their own level. I also discovered this accidentally, after slithering along on my stomach one day.

Capularis--someone who knows more about entomology than I do can chime in, but I think the phenomenon you are describing applies to dragonflies, not damselflies. The latter have completely different, spherical eyes. (I'll post a picture of one below). All my shots of dragonfly eyes have the characteristic you noted. I have assumed that the actual eye is just the part on the top, where you can see lenses, and that the bottom is a smooth structure of some kind.