LENS-ARTISTS, Photography

Weird Inspiration

Suzy Shipman

What inspires me (Lens-Artists #160)? Well, I’m a little weird. I’m nerdy, quiet and pretty rubbish at social interactions. And while I do find a beautiful flower or butterfly very appealing, what really grabs my attention and inspires me are the weirder, more interesting (to me) things. I like to see them, identify them, and learn about them 🙂

For example, dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) are fascinating to me. They’ve been on the planet for WAY longer than us humans. They spend most of their lives (more than 5 years for some) under water and the part of them that we see flying by is only a brief fragment of their life. In the water, the larvae have pretty vicious mouth parts and can even prey on small fish! Then when it’s the right time they emerge from the water to transform into the flying insects we’re more familiar with. As adults they’re predators too. I’ve seen them eating spiders, moths, other damsels or dragons, so it’s not all pretty colours and shiny wings!

If I see a dragonfly, I’ll probably ignore all the other nature around me and focus on the dragon. I have been known to spend ages in sweltering heat that would normally drive me indoors, because there are dragons to photograph!

Anyway, enough waffling – here are some of my favourites to enjoy:

Beautiful Demoiselle (f)
Beautiful Demoiselle
Black Darter (female)
Black Darter (females aren’t actually black)
Azure Damselfly
Azure
Broad-Bodied Chaser
Broad-bodied Chaser
First Large Red Damselfly of 2017 :)
Large Red
Migrant Hawker – Aeshna mixta (female)
Migrant Hawker (this one caused huge excitement as it rather randomly appeared in my garden back in 2015)
Emerald Damselfly (male)
Emerald
Sunshine Dragon (Common Darter Dragonfly)
Common Darter
Common Blue Damselfly
Common Blue
Golden-ringed Dragonfly
Golden-ringed
Blue-Tailed Damselfly
Blue-tailed
Four-Spotted Chaser
Four-spotted Chaser
Southern Hawker dragonfly
Southern Hawker (one of my very few in-flight photos)

Of course there are other things I find weird and interesting in nature too, like Shieldbugs, water droplets, Weevils, lichens and moss…

12 thoughts on “Weird Inspiration”

  2. Wonderful captures Suzy – somehow I might have guessed your response on this one LOL! I have a good friend (curiously also named Suzy) who is equally enchanted by damsels and dragons. They are difficult to catch at rest although you seem to have mastered that! Beautiful post.

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  8. Wonderful post, Suzy. I don’t think your inspiration is at all strange. We are inspired by so many different things. I met an artist years ago who was inspired by road kill on the highways! Her fierce creativity was astounding. I admire inspiration in whatever form it takes! Your careful observation of dragonflies really gave me great insight into their kinds and life cycle. Thanks!!

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