My Favourite ImageCommon Darter Close Up (Sympetrum striolatum)

The Common Darter appears late in the Odonata season and will probably be one of the last species that you will see on the wing prior to the onset of late autumn frosts.

This species is prone to rest on the top of lone solitary perches in the sun's warmth, at waist height. This makes composing an image far easier, as the background area is completely out of focus, accentuating the subjects detail.

This female Common Darter posed quite happily for this shot and appeared totally unperturbed by the lenses presence.

The image was taken from about 6 inches away without the aid of a camera support. A shutter speed of 1/250th of a second was selected, which allowed an automatic wide depth of field to be used. The lone perch permitted the backdrop to remain blurred, whilst the subject's sharpness was at its widest.