Dragonfly Eating Bee

I was waiting to see if another dragonfly was going to land near

where I was standing when this one flew in, carrying a struggling

bee. I took many pictures of the dragonfly as it started to eat the

bee. I didn't realize they even ate bees! If I had my druthers, I

wish it had landed on the barbed wire or fence post to make a more

pleasing shot, but it landed on this wire. Is there anything one can

do with a shot like this or is the original subject matter alone

interesting enough?

Dragonflies 1, Bees 0. Being allergic to bee stings, I'm cheering for the dragonflies.

 

I'd say the subject matter is interesting enough as it is. And I didn't even notice that the dragonfly had landed on a wire until I read your comments -- I was more interested in the dragonfly and its victim.

I probably took about a dozen shots - the dragonfly was engrossed in trying to subdue the struggling bee. This one seemed to show the bee best. It was a rather morbid piece of nature to view!

Though I knew dragonflies were predators I was largely ignorant of their prey. I've never seen this happening. I think it's also interesting the way the critter is perching on the wire. The catchlights in it's eyes are really cool. Regarding your question, I think the image is fine the way it is. Better DOF on the wings would have been nice, but not really necessary. Good photograph. Unique. Regards.

The pic is great, subject matter is fantastic. The wire doesn't stand out as an artifact, I didn't notice it at all, and even looking at it there's no problem with it. As for controlling what dragonflies land on, well you can read my comments in another forum here on getting the dragonfly to land.

Beautifull creature, photographed expertly.

 

David LaHeist's information is so cool. I must try that with a dragon fly some time.

I tried David's idea, but it didn't work. Our dragonflies land on the ground often and don't seem to care about landing on the highest object.

Ok, scrap that idea. This is a beautifull creature, and an exccellent shot. Did I say that already? :)) It needs saying again.

Thanks for your comments. This was a lucky shot and a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I know that doesn't happen too often!

This is a great shot. I tried my first photos of a dragonfly over the weekend, with disastrous results. I had no tripod, only a 70-300mm G lens and the wind was blowing. So I appreciate this one.

 

If I may ask - what lens usually works well for shooting dragonflies? And how close were you to this little fellow in terms of distance. Thanks a lot. JH

It was the 28-105 mm lens and if I remember correctly, I was about 2' away. The dragonfly was totally ignoring me because he was trying to subdue the bee.

Is that 50mm's? I suppose it is a macro lens as well? Thanks, and great capture once again.

Regards. JH

Yes, it has a macro setting, as well. I can get quite close with it, probably about 3 inches away or so.