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Emerald Twosome


Emerald Twosome
Photo Information
Copyright: Bente Feldballe (milloup) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 483 W: 41 N: 618] (1706)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-08-01
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Tamron 28-300XR
Exposure: f/13.0, 1/160 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2004-08-09 6:18
Viewed: 1421
Favorites: 2 [view]
Points: 28
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Emerald Damselfly, Lestes sponsa. Widespread and common. Adults can be seen from mid June to late September. This can be a locally abundant species favouring acid ponds and small lakes, but avoiding very exposed and upland sites. It is the last species of damselfly to emerge each year in mid to late June.
The Emerald Damselfly is similar to the Scarce Emerald Damselfly Lestes dryas. Males of both species are emerald green and as they mature develop a powdery blue pruinescence on the thorax, abdominal segments 1 and 2 and on the apex of the abdomen. The pruinescence can sometimes obscure the spots on segment 2 which are teardrop-shaped in the Emerald Damselfly and rectangular in the Scarce Emerald. The inferior anal appendages are straight in the Emerald and broad and curved inwards in the Scarce Emerald. The emeralds have a body length of 35-38 mm and a wingspan of 42-46 mm.
The mating's over, and these emeralds are "taking the kids to the pond", as someone very appropriately put it once ;-)) The male will hold on to his damsel while she bores little holes to deposit her eggs in leaves or stems as is happening in this photo. He does that to make sure that no other male interferes and starts mating with the female, so that the genes passed on will actually be his.
The Lestes species of damselflies are spreadwings, which means they're capable of spreading their wings while resting, just like the "real" dragonflies do. In this photo the male is holding his wings together (damselfly fashion) while the female has her wings spread out.
Treatment: Crop, brightness +5, contrast +10, saturation +10, USM and resize.
PDP, carper, Callie, petertee, Robbrown, ellis49, nwoehnl, RAP, elroyie, mogens-j has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 2821 W: 344 N: 3779] (11769)
  • [2004-08-09 6:26]

Ahhh the rare psychic damsel, successfully predicting the first letter of your TN name.

Bente, it's a beautiful photo, detail is excellent. Lighting fabulous and composition exceptional. Very, very good.

very good and with very good colours Bente,
Good capture, good taken, very sharp, good note too, very good job Bente.

Bente
I must say, you just get better, this is VERY nice.

Fantastique cliché que cette photo d'une grande qualité.
Félicitations Bente.

Very nice bente, good colours an pretty sharp.
I presume the male moved his wings as you took the picture as they are well within the limit of the DOF in the image.
good and full note to boot as well.

Very good with very nice color
Perfect sharpness, and good composition
Very goos note

Stunning shot, Bente, so rich in detail and color, and such a fine composition you got with the two of them holding on to the leaf. Perfect light and DOF as well, congratulations on this one.

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2004-08-09 16:50]

Excelente captura Bente.
Nitidez y colorido muy buenos.
Perfecto perspectiva y profundidad que realza la vision de los insectos.
Muy completa nota acompaña la imagen.
Bien hecho!

Excellent capture Bente.
Very good colorful and clearness.
Perfect perspective and depth that heightens the vision of the insects.
Very complete note accompanies the image. Well done!

Very good catch, excellent picture with great colours and great bokeh, in all my picture I caught only one dragonfly and here you got two in the same frame . . . :-)

Brilliant capture Bente - so clear and crispy. Wonderful colours and very clever use of dof. I think Robert is right about the males wings - pity. Well if he hadn't it would have been too perfect;-)).

You did a great job here - hats off.

Sharpness is excellent, Bente !
So many details and colours and a great view on the insects, very well done !

Excellent macro with perfect DOF and good subject. Perfect focus on the subjects too

A perfect shot that's going straight in my favorites.
Wel done.

An exquisite photograph. Absolutely beautiful damselflies captured nicely. TFS

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