The Banded Demoiselle Male

Some facts:
There are only two species of damselfly in Britain have obviously coloured wings. They both belong to the genus Calopteryx. In this species the wings of the mature male have a dark blue-black band across the central portion and those of the female are iridescent pale-green. the body colour is metallic blue-green in the male and green with a bronze tip in the female. the flight is fluttering, butterfly-like and the male often performs a fluttering display flight in front of females.

It habitat is mainly found along slow-flowing lowland streams and rivers, particularly those with muddy bottoms. They can be found in most places of England, south of the Humber, wales and Ireland. You will see them mainly flying from early May to the end of August. (The above information came from www.british-dragonflies.org.uk and has had the spelling corrected! Which in itself, is a contradiction in terms for a dyslexic.)

><>

In all the years that I have tried to photograph dragonflies, it never ceases to amaze me that no matter how hard I try to move slowly and not cased a shadow over my intended subject these little colourful insects do like to move. Catching them still long enough to really focus on them and then to press the shutter and not move yourself. Is a practiced skill in controlling your breathing and being certain that your feet are in good contact with the ground.

I have found that focusing on really small objects or insects, one needs to accept that not every part of the subject will be in focus. Macro-photography is a finite in itself and you have to decided what is the most important part of the photograph. For me this Banded Demoiselle Male’s wings was the most important part. I wanted to try a capture the structural lines of the wings, thus highlighting the banding as well. Being self-critical on one’s photographic work over the years, has always been a reason for trying to improve the next time. With the short season for seeing dragonflies and being lucky enough to be living near a slow-flowing lowland stream, then I get the pleasure of seeing these creatures more often than most people.

The next time you see a dragonfly, just stand still and try to look at the way it flies, the colours of the body, and if you are lucky enough see how it dances with the females and defends it’s them too from other males.