pre-flight check

pre-flight check, originally uploaded by tmv_media.

This is currently my "most interesting" photograph on Flickr.

How did I get this shot? Is a question asked by a few....

I was coming back into my house having been out in my wild garden taking photos of other creatures, I almost stepped on this chap..

The concrete slabs outside my back door face north, the day had started sunny but wasn't very warm. This Damselfy had landed, but didn't seem to have the energy to move.
I dashed into the house and grabbed my fashgun (Sony HVL 42-AM).

Lying down, with the lens hood of my 100mm f2.8 macro lens scuffing on the concrete, I held my camera in my right hand relying on the auto-focus, as with my left hand I held the flash (works wirelessly with my DSLR) directly above this fantastic insect and was pleased with this shot. Looks great printed at B+ (the biggest I can print at home)...

Quite menacing.. However, even at this size, it is still smaller than the dragonflies and damselfies that used to live alongside the dinosaurs...