Flights of Fancy

By David W Runyan II

As I saunter slowly along the edge of a pond shortly after dawn, my eyes are drawn to that familiar golden sparkle; soft morning sunlight reflected from the wings of a female Meadowhawk dragonfly roosting deep within the thicket of vegetation lining the shore.

And so begins my morning of photographic pleasure as I slowly approach her, gradually permitting her to understand that my camera and I mean her no harm and once that communication between us takes place, I'm free to capture her glistening beauty in a series of photographs at various camera angles and close range zoom levels so the tiny details of her design become mesmerizing elements in my images.

During these shoots, a rapport of sorts develops between myself and dragons. I learn about their instincts and behavior patterns. I learn which angles and zoom levels present them in the most striking ways. And while a dragon remains focused upon its two primary purposes (eating and mating), it does take a little time to acknowledge and engage me, which further heightens this passion I have for capturing their portraits.

In my passion, I was driven to develop ways and means of coping with the challenges of dragonfly macro photography. I needed to learn how to approach and photograph them without scaring them away. I then needed to develop techniques and tricks to improve image appeal. Through several seasons of trial and error, I eventually arrived at a formula for success which is presented in this book. And while improvements to my methods will continue to emerge, the current method is a fine starting point and the book will be revised as we go along.

Dragonfly photographers are a special breed, and you might just be one of us, so without further delay, let's proceed into all you need to know about this unusually captivating hobby.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David W Runyan II
• Release date: May 23, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370649983

David W Runyan II

Human societies and ideologies are given to change with such frequency that one might assume them to be severely flawed; requiring thousands of years of alterations in order to finally get it right. Nature on the other hand refuses to change and believes in endless repetitiveness and yet there is no boredom in the steadfastness of the presentation which is either so wonderfully designed that one doesn't tire of seeing the same venue millions of times or else the variations in attire continue to amaze, or both. If a sunset is viewed from the same vantage point each evening, the landscape remains unchanged but the cloud cover and sunlight effect the landscape in new ways with each dusk. Or the lush Summer greens give way to the Autumn palette and thereafter the snow clings to the denuded forest. The same is never the same. For these reasons, I spend much of my free time in the natural realm quietly observing and recording the splendor of it all; coalescing all of my perceptions and images into chronicles to share with the world in the form of EBooks hoping always that the effort inspires the reader to segregate self from our ever-changing societies and ideologies briefly and to savor the magnificence of that which refuses to change.

Book preview

Flights of Fancy

Copyright 2014 by David W. Runyan II

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the author. The dragonfly images are in the public domain for personal, non-profit use. No commercial or profitable use is permitted.

Other Ebooks by David W. Runyan II

Enchanting Evanescence

Mad About Mushrooms

Wonders with Winter

Facebook Venues

North Quabbin Free Fotos

Snowflake Gallery

Preface

Dragonfly portraiture is a specialized branch of macro photography which is particularly addictive. But specialized doesn't necessarily mean difficult. I practice the art of dragonfly photography using compact cameras running essentially in auto mode. You won't need expensive gear and extensive knowledge but you will need determination.

The beauty of these creatures becomes a photographic passion. Once comfortable with the camera, dragonflies are charming, engaging subjects with discernible personalities.

If you're ready to get up close and personal with these fascinating insects, then I'm ready to teach you how to do