Macro Photos and Dead Bugs

So, I got a macro photography book from the library, and I think it was the first one I've seen that actually details how to make a killing jar. You know so you don't have to deal with that pesky motion thing that live bugs do. I lost quite a bit of respect for the book, even though I'm thinking of getting some extension tubes to shorten my focusing distance on the 100 mm macro, which was also mentioned in the book.

(Dragonfly I found in the middle of a trail. If you poked him he's flap his wings. It took me a minute to notice he was headless.)

I take quite a bit of pride in the fact that it might be harder, but unless a bug was dead when I found it, it will get to fly away when I startle it. I have trouble believing that all the nature sanctuaries I go to, that really have the best bug assortment, would like me to wander around killing dragonflies so I can get them to sit still for the photo. Dragonflies start changing color when they die, so pics of dead ones aren't even useful for identification.

(Darner from Minot. It's so windy there, especially off water, that once they can't fly the dragonflies seem to take headers into plants. We found two upside down on the sides of trails. One would try to fly when you flipped it back over, but would just take another header. )

I feel like it's a bit of laziness. I spend a lot of May and June relearning how close I can get to different species before they'll fly away, or which ones I might convince onto my hand. I guess it does delay gratification somewhat. My May dragonfly pics are normally a pile of sticks with a red stripe with wings in them. Apparently it's important to only kill the best ones, so you get photos of perfect rather than imperfect bugs. I've been stewing over this for a few days now. Thursday I was in a store and asked for a plastic bag to catch a dragonfly who was banging it's head against one of the front windows trying to get out. I caught him and let him out (All the while repeating Dragonflies can't bite me.) This is the third dragonfly this year I've had to catch and release from somewhere. By the by plastic bags are awesome for catching them, especially they opaque white ones. I just have no interest in ending the life of anything else just for THE picture. I feel like it's cheating. Maybe I'll never get THE picture, but I won't feel guilty about killing critters just because they wouldn't sit still.