Mexican Amberwing dragonfly obelisking...

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twebster
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Mexican Amberwing dragonfly obelisking...

Post by twebster »

Hi y'all, :D

What the heck is "obelisking" :?: :D It's just a descriptive term used for dragonflies pointing their hind ends towards the sun... :D

Image
Mexican Amberwing Dragonfly (Perithemis intensa) Canon EOS Rebel XT with Canon EF 70-300mm IS lens set at 300mm, 25mm extension tube, ISO 200, 1/125 sec @ f 13, natural light, handheld with IS turned on.

"Obelisking" helps the dragonfly regulate its body temperature when things start heating up. By pointing their hineys at the sun the dragonfly exposes the minimum surface area of its body to reduce heat absorption. I'm going to try that myself tomorrow when I go shooting at the Desert Botanical Gardens. Do you think anyone will notice :?: :shock:

Best regards to all as always, :D
Tom Webster
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Think about this...maybe Murphy is an optimist!!!

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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Nice image Tom. :D I have heard of an obelisk but not obelisking. Some folks have a behind so big it could cool an entire neighborhood :lol: An interesting fact though, didn't know that. :D
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Beetleman
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Post by Beetleman »

Those Dragonflies are very beautiful Tom, as are your photos of them. I would guess that every animal out there needs to regulate their body temp.
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Post by rjlittlefield »

I really like this shot. Great colors, great sharpness, and the shape and gradation of the background is a really nice complement to the dragonfly.

I'd say the whole picture is "pretty close to perfect", but I don't have a clue what could be improved!

--Rik
Reworks and reposts of my images in this forum are always welcome, as are constructive critiques.

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