A Dragonfly, a 10 Year Old Boy, and a Microscope

[svalley]

When I was a kid about 10 years old I had my first encounter with a dragonfly and it set the course of the rest of my life. An afternoon visit to Todd Lake near Mt. Bachelor in the Oregon Cascade Mountains with a bunch of other neighbor kids. I managed to capture a dragonfly that landed on my arm and got it home intact. I had gotten a microscope for Christmas and when I looked at the eyes of that dragonfly and saw all the colors and those amazing ommatidia I was absolutely hooked. Looking back all those years I am pretty sure that the dragonfly was Aeshna palmata. I have spent my life studying and photographing these amazing creatures.

A male dragonfly, Aeshna palmata

A male dragonfly, Aeshna palmata

A male dragonfly, Aeshna palmata

A male dragonfly, Aeshna palmata

A male dragonfly, Aeshna palmata

A male dragonfly, Aeshna palmata

The Covid pandemic made travel this year impossible so had to concentrate on local species for subjects of an ongoing dragonfly portrait project. These were all shot with a Nikon D810 and a Rodenstock 50mm APO enlarging lens reverse mounted on a Nikon PB-4 bellows, with 2 diffused Nikon speedlights, a Stackshot and Zerene Stacker.

[Guppy]

Hi

I understand your enthusiasm for Dragonfly.
Exceptionally beautiful pictures, it's really fun to look at them.
thanks.

Kurt

[leonardturner]

Striking, well-executed images.
Your comments lead me to muse on the excitement of finding something unexpected and the importance of scientific curiosity, particularly perhaps in the young, but throughout life as well.
Thank you,

Leonard

[svalley]

Thank you both for your kind words!

Steve

[MarkSturtevant]

Nice! Your story is also very evocative. We are all here because of moments like those.