Damsel bling

Identification - Rhinocypha fenestrata cornelii

An early safari today, but the sky was unusually overcast, making the lighting very difficult. I had to use flash for everything in order to capture any colors. I even had to flash the three cute little girls on their way to school (needs rephrasing), unfortunately the vibrancy of their excited faces was not transferred into pixels and I had to banish the image to the storage files, too good to bin but not good enough to blip.

Insects were also thin on the ground due to the cool air and lack of UV rays, but with slow stalking and intense staring, I found enough material for a dozen keepers.

I often see this damsel fly, slightly larger than my usual subjects. It tends to hang around over the stream and so is more often than not just out of reach. This one landed fairly close but the angle was all wrong, so I took a chance and chased it gently with a grass stalk and it landed closer and presented a full side view, the best opportunity I had so far had with this dazzling creature.

Again, the lighting was a problem and the first shots looked decidedly drab in the preview window, so I popped up the flash and it looked much better. When I pulled up the image on the screen, I could not believe my eyes, I had never noticed the rich red wingtips before. I checked out my files and sure enough the red was there, but it had never caught the light like it did today.

Some photographers do not like to use flash, considering it to be false, cheating or for whatever reason they have. Personally I think it is a powerful tool and often the only way to show the true colors of your subject. Yes it can be overpowering with gaudy shadows everywhere, but if you get the level right, it works.

Another example of the males wearing the bling. Obviously an easy choice for blip and I am sure you will like him.

Dave