Unexpected photoshoot by the lake

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. When you go out to shoot photos, you can never be sure what you'll end up bringing home.

This time, I headed out to photograph a cultural event, but it turned out that I had mixed up the dates and was a whole month off. It’s one thing to mistake a day, but a month? Well, as it turns out, it can happen. But since I was already out and ready, I decided to extend my walk from the park to one of the local ponds. That place is a sure bet for me ‒ I hardly ever leave without capturing something.

Of course, it was just as I expected. I sat down on a toppled log, spent a while lounging in the sun, and soon the show began.

The event kicked off with the aerial display. Two kingfishers zoomed past, but I barely had time to capture these stunning jewels of the bird world. They zipped around me with such speed that they nearly created a sonic boom. In fact, all I caught was a fleeting glimpse of two bright blue streaks.

Then two dragonflies arrived. They took turns landing on a nearby fallen log. One would arrive while the other took off, and then they’d switch places.

The robust dragonflies were soon replaced by much more delicate damselflies. The smaller they are, the brighter they seem ‒ their bodies shimmered with a metallic gloss.

In the last shot, I managed to photograph both of them at the same time. The damselfly is perched on a leaf, with the dragonfly in the background.

The show continued on. The navy made an appearance with swans and ducks, along with the ground troops represented by some nutria. I even had to step in to prevent a small incident. But I’ll save that story for my next article. There’s always more to share.