Remember what I said last time about showing the beauty that everyone else missed? Here's one. This is an American Rubyspot damselfly; not dragonfly, damselfly. You can tell because when it lands, it sticks its wings up and to the back. When dragonflies land, they stick their wings straight out to the side. Also, damselflies tend to be smaller. In any case, isn't he a elegant? This is on the Eel River, in that swimming hole near Hidden Springs Campground. I found this tree root that was sticking half out of the water. I stood neck-deep in the river for about half an hour shooting while all kinds of damselflies, dragonflies, and butterflies flew around me.
To get this shot, I used my Canon S50 safely encased in its under-water housing. I use that under-water housing for more than just shooting under water. I take it skiing, kayaking, and to the beach so that I can shoot without worrying about the camera getting wet or sandy. In this case, of course, this photo was not taken under water, but I would not have taken my unprotected camera into this environment.
Another feature I often use when shooting skittish creatures is rapid-fire. I'll hold down the shutter-release for a while so that I can get a whole bunch of shots in a short period of time. This is great because you never know when that insect is going to take off.
