We found a dragonfly hanging on to an oak tree in our yard. I don't know what it was up to (maybe nearing the end of its life, maybe just taking a rest), but it let us get very close and sat almost perfectly still while I fetched the camera and photographed it.
Dragonflies are one of those few insects I actually like. Most of them, I don't particularly want to touch (even though they make good photos), but I think I'd be ok with a dragonfly. (g)
Editing: The most interesting aspect of editing this photo (as well as a few others from today and yesterday) was that it is actually two photos in one. I combined two photos of the same subject, allowing only the best, sharpest portions of each to show in the final product. I think this can be a very useful technique, but yesterday was my first time using it, so I'm still learning its ins and outs.
Here's how I did it (for future reference):
Open the two photos in Photoshop. Select one and paste it as a new layer onto the other. If necessary-- if, like me, you didn't use a tripod when taking the photos-- lower the opacity of the top layer and position it so that the two line up as perfectly as possible. Pull the opacity back up. Select Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All. Using the paint brush tool (w/ black as the paint color), "paint" where you want to bottom layer to show through the top.
...That's about all. It's not difficult, and I can think of many possible uses.
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