It used to be I’d spend most of my free time outdoors – taking nature photos of dragonflies, butterflies and other ‘critters.’  But that was years ago and I’ve since discovered other hobbies, I’ve made new friends and I don’t tolerate the Texas heat as I used to.  But this weekend my friends and I piled in to a Town & Country van and went to Austin for a photo shoot at the Zilker Botanical Gardens.  I planned on taking photos of my friends (which I did) but the dragonflies distracted me…

When taking ‘critter’ photos, I usually start out with a shot from a ‘safe’ distance.  At least I am almost guaranteed one photo before getting closer and spooking it. I like the blurry background in the photo below.

I moved closer to the subject…

Now a little closer.  This time it’s looking at me.  Is that a smile?

Here’s a close-up view of the head.

Side profile.

Based on my online research this is a Scarlet Dragonfly.  One of the distinguishing features are the red legs.

Camera:  Canon 5D Mark II
Lens: 100mm Macro Lens (Currently, my favorite lens)
Date:  July 2014