Before I get into the photos, I wanted to share some news with everyone. Last week, Anya and I bought some kayaks. So far we've taken them out to the Youghiogheny River at Cedar Creek Park and at the lake at Raccoon Creek State Park. Which leads me into the photos...

Several weeks ago, I went fishing with my dad and brothers at Raccoon Creek State Park and I took my camera along to see what I could catch with it. The fishing wasn't so hot, but I came home with a handful of good dragonfly photos.

This particular species of dragonfly is called a Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa). And we saw many more while out kayaking - they tend to like taking a rest on the kayaks as we paddle through the water.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 APO DG OS HSM at 500mm, 1/200 sec at f/6.4 plus 1/3 stop exposure compensation (not sure how that got flipped on). OS mode 1. ISO 200. Dolica AX620B100 tripod mounted. No post production. Raccoon Creek State Park, Beaver County, PA.

What Works: I like the strong composition with the dragonfly resting close to one of the thirds, and the diagonal line of the blade of grass is nice.

What Doesn't Work: There is a slight ghosting around the dragonfly if you zoom to full-size - I think this might actually be a result of having the OS turned on while tripod mounted (I've read some things that this might not be the best thing to do). Also, I wish the exposure compensation wouldn't have gotten flipped up a notch as I really have no clue how that happened!

This really is a simple shot with a very obvious point of focus - something I really like in my nature photography.

- Bill