Dragonflies and Damselflies

[Maximilian]

RP+EF180L, July 2020

Great Pictures. I especially like the first one with that banded dragonfly. Because of the iridescent wings.
I suppose that's a banded darter (sympetrum pedemontanum). Never saw that before.
Was that shot in the Netherlands?

Edit: In Germany and Bavaria, that one is listed as RL2 = endangered

 

[Click]

Very nice series, koenkooi.

​

 

[koenkooi]

Great Pictures. I especially like the first one with that banded dragonfly. Because of the iridescent wings.
I suppose that's a banded darter (sympetrum pedemontanum). Never saw that before.
Was that shot in the Netherlands?

Edit: In Germany and Bavaria, that one is listed as RL2 = endangered

It was indeed a banded darter! This was taken during a 'banded darter workshop', it took us a few hours to find them, in an area that was scouted by the workshop organizer a few days before. In the Netherlands we still have them in a handful of areas, but they are indeed rare/endangered.

I like this shot very much, but I did something stupid: I converted it to TIFF using DPP4, ran it through Topaz Denoise and then deleted the CR3! So I can't run it through through more modern tools

 

[Maximilian]

... and then deleted the CR3! So I can't run it through through more modern tools

A good example why to always keep the RAW files. I feel sorry for you, that you learned it that way.

 

[AlanF]

Surprisingly, the first Common Darter I've seen this year (R5 1000mm).

 

[Click]

Beautiful shot, Alan. Great details.

 

[Maximilian]

Surprisingly, the first Common Darter I've seen this year (R5 1000mm).

Great close-up, Alan.
From the colour, this seems to be a quite old female yet.

 

[Maximilian]

A western clubtail (gomphus pulchellus), a quite rare visitor at our local ponds.

 

[AlanF]

A western clubtail (gomphus pulchellus), a quite rare visitor at our local ponds.

View attachment 211249

A welcome visitor. Never seen one.

 

[Maximilian]

And - as I said - I can do also some migrant hawkers

 

[Click]

I really like the last one. Nicely done, Maximilian.

 

[ISv]

It was indeed a banded darter! This was taken during a 'banded darter workshop', it took us a few hours to find them, in an area that was scouted by the workshop organizer a few days before. In the Netherlands we still have them in a handful of areas, but they are indeed rare/endangered.

I like this shot very much, but I did something stupid: I converted it to TIFF using DPP4, ran it through Topaz Denoise and then deleted the CR3! So I can't run it through through more modern tools

For images that I really like I use to make a copy of the RAW file and work with it. I got that habit before starting with Photo Lab where one can very easy to return to the original RAW and start again. On other hand it is good to have doubles of such a files - I save them on separate external SSD.

 

[koenkooi]

For images that I really like I use to make a copy of the RAW file and work with it. I got that habit before starting with Photo Lab where one can very easy to return to the original RAW and start again. On other hand it is good to have doubles of such a files - I save them on separate external SSD.

That similar to what I did, I kept all RAWs on a separate disk. At some point I decided that I want to prune those and import them into lightroom to stack them with the TIFFs.
So I wrote a script that would only keep CR3 that had a matching TIFF.
That worked well, right up to the point where it ran into IMG_xxxx-DeNoised.tiff and the correlation failed.
So only a dozen or so pictures lack their originals, but they are the pictures that would show the most improvement with more modern tools.

Nowadays I import the CR3s into LR and stack them with the DNGs DxO produces. And back up everything to a different computer.

 

[ISv]

That similar to what I did, I kept all RAWs on a separate disk. At some point I decided that I want to prune those and import them into lightroom to stack them with the TIFFs.
So I wrote a script that would only keep CR3 that had a matching TIFF.
That worked well, right up to the point where it ran into IMG_xxxx-DeNoised.tiff and the correlation failed.
So only a dozen or so pictures lack their originals, but they are the pictures that would show the most improvement with more modern tools.

Nowadays I import the CR3s into LR and stack them with the DNGs DxO produces. And back up everything to a different computer.

!
I would add only that when you are dealing with rare species - I mean things that you may not see/ take (good!) photos again, better keep your RAW files save! And I have to repeat what Alan did: "I feel sorry for you, that you learned it that way. "

 

[Maximilian]

... And I have to repeat what Alan did: "I feel sorry for you, that you learned it that way. "

You're not famous for citing wrong

 

[Maximilian]

An albino damselfly?
No! Just very freshly hatched. Look at the wing. It's not fully unfolded. I hope it did.
Because of the missing colour, I couldn't tell the species. Looking at the shape of the legs, I'd guess it's a white-legged.
R6m2@500mm

 

[Click]

Nice shot, Maximilian.

 

[Maximilian]

Looking at the shape of the legs, I'd guess it's a white legged.

This is a white-legged damselfly (platycnemis pennipes), for sure now.

 

[Maximilian]

...
Luckily some male and female darter were very kind to pose for me at (or close to) MFD and stayed there for as long as I needed.
@AlanF : It was Afternoon, the darters were quite busy, but I was slow enough to not startle them up

Same female, now not at MFD but with optimum framing and a 1:1 detail of the compound again.

 

[Maximilian]

Scarce chaser at optimum resolution and MFD of the RF100-500L