Neat Dragon Fly experience

[dumpy]

On my way mountain biking after work the other day, as I had just pulled into the state forest I saw a flower I had to stop and take a picture of. I slapped on my trusty 35mm macro lens.

Then a dragon fly on another flower caught my eye. I usually use my tele lens for these guys, but thought I'd try and get close with the 35mm. It did not move for a few minutes of hand held shooting, it was pretty dark so I grabbed my tripod, which I used as a monopod, still no movement. I was starting to think this thing was dead, so i decided to set up my tripod for realsies. Finally when I accidentally moved the plant, it flew away.

It landed on another plant about 2 feet away, so i set up there and snapped a few more, I even had time to set up a reflector to the side and get my flash going, this little guy was unfazed.

I don't even think these pictures are all that great, but the experience of taking them with a 35mm lens was really neat. The first two are uncropped, the third was a slight crop if that gives you any idea how close I was.

Does anyone have any idea why it was acting this way? They usually seem very skittish, but I do think this was the first of this exact species I've photographed.

For the record, I never made it on to my bike that day, the camera took over!! :thumbsup: