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Taking the Kids to the Pond


Taking the Kids to the Pond
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: 2004-08-14
Categories: Insects
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Tamron 28-300XR, Hama Close-up +2
Exposure: f/13.0, 1/100 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2005-02-28 10:29
Viewed: 2219
Favorites: 4 [view]
Points: 52
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
A look back to warmer, kinder days after one of the coldest nights recorded as yet in Denmark this winter. According to the calender spring will start tomorrow, but that's not quite the impression I get when looking at the hardpacked snow outside my window. My late grandmother used to quote an old "weather saying" going something like this: "Days grow longer, winter stronger", that's not entirely untrue for this time of year..

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 female is holding 3 of 4 wings together (damselfly fashion) while the male has his wings spread out.
Treatment: Crop, brightness +10, contrast +10, saturation +10, USM and resize.
dew77, pgmoni, ellis49, IdoTT, NitzanCK, Robbrown, carper, honza, PDP, pompey, gerhardt, willie, Luc, extramundi, Callie, TAZ, Janice, AndyB, dsidwell has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • papkin Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 78 W: 0 N: 96] (1580)
  • [2005-02-28 10:31]

Fantastic shot,very,very nice photo.

  • Great 
  • Kris Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 180 W: 0 N: 129] (1812)
  • [2005-02-28 10:32]

Fantastic shot Bente. Interesting object and pose. Excellent capture with good details.
Yes, I like it! Very well done

  • Great 
  • dew77 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 4774 W: 294 N: 4020] (13209)
  • [2005-02-28 10:37]

Magnificent macro shot!Composition,details perfect...A favourite...TFS

  • Great 
  • pgmoni Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 342 W: 95 N: 610] (2556)
  • [2005-02-28 11:57]

Flawless shot ! Words fail me.

This is a great tandem Mogens.
Soon will the spring arrive and we forget everything about snow and cold. Great sharpness, pov, composition and colours. Excellent note too.
Great work.

Very Good Bente I am surprised you had not posted before it is a quality image, the details especially in her is outstanding and all against the spot on blurred BG.This one should be in a refance book it is so good.

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2010 W: 122 N: 2581] (8424)
  • [2005-02-28 13:58]

Fantastic shot Bente,
I love those shots and you know that I am falling for good macro shots from damselflies. I am a guy who looking also out for the spring. This photo is very good taken, the both are very good in pof thats for sure, the colours are super, and the details are great, and even the great note, I live it to read it, I am looking for spring, fantastic job.

  • Great 
  • honza Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 537 W: 0 N: 716] (4191)
  • [2005-02-28 14:52]

Very interesting and nice shot. Excelent composition with perfect details and colors.

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 2821 W: 344 N: 3779] (11769)
  • [2005-02-28 15:33]

Hi Bente, lovely shot. You did a great job to capture this. Very good technically and the colours and composition are supreme. Well done.

I agree with Robert, this should have been posted ages ago. Its one of the best (if not THE best) tandem of Damsels I have seen. Everything is just perfect, Bente. I am especially impressed with the colors in this photo. Off the charts... :)

MASTERPIECE!

  • Great 
  • pompey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 146 W: 4 N: 745] (2768)
  • [2005-02-28 15:42]

Beautiful shot Bente, great colours, great clarity, perfect background and good note.
Thanks for sharing.

Spectacular composition and DOF. What a great moment. Fine photo Bente.

Very good close-up. great POV and colours.
Well done.
TFS.

  • Great 
  • willie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1023 W: 61 N: 648] (2083)
  • [2005-03-01 12:00]

No wonder I've missed your posts of late Bente. This is stunning. Very good work

  • Great 
  • naki Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor [C: 382 W: 27 N: 5] (40)
  • [2005-03-01 14:38]

Wow... This is just great. One of the best ever saw. The harmony of the color of the BG , damsels and the stem perfect.
congraculations.

Great shot, the wing detail is impressive and so are the colours. Very attractive composition, POV and DOF. Well done.

What beautiful posts you showed this days. I like them all, but this one is beautiful, fantastic composition and pleasant light and coluors. Thanks for sharing.

  • Great 
  • Toni Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 403 W: 2 N: 316] (2034)
  • [2005-03-06 16:17]

Superbe prise de vue. Cette image est fantastique :-)))

Hi Bente
I want to say this is your best yet, but I cannot remember each and every winner you have posted. The details and colours here are superbs, not a nit, I just love it.

Great macro shot Bente, particularly of what I imagine is a rarely-captured event.

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2005-03-27 0:49]

Waouh ! Belle et intéressante macro pour ces deux libellules. Surperbe couleurs et excellente netteté.
Very well done !!!

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1873 W: 304 N: 4300] (14729)
  • [2005-03-27 8:28]

A very lovely couple. The PoV is perfect. Your work is very neat for both the picture and the note.
Thanks Bente.
p.s.: please look for the last otter I posted yesterday. Have a Uppy Easter ;-)

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3059 W: 231 N: 6139] (20984)
  • [2005-05-03 2:21]

Just outstanding! Wonderful capture of these two dragonflies. Perfect on all levels, Bente. Congratulations on a stunning shot.

  • Great 
  • Janice Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3318 W: 149 N: 6113] (18646)
  • [2005-06-03 6:06]

Bente, these are so close and so sharp. What a wonderful photo. Just perfect. Composition, colours, details, pose, sharpness, ALL just so good. Thank you.

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1391 W: 32 N: 1350] (3982)
  • [2005-06-15 2:46]

Hello Bente,
What a beautiful capture and one I've overlooked too!
Fantastic colours and detail,excellent DOF.
Superb,well done.

Very exciting pattern made by these insects. Very well seen, Bente! LIghting and dof are just perfect.

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