The poor summer weather continues. Rain, heavy clouds and strong winds have been the story of this summer lately. Better weather is finally on the horizon, but in the meantime I wasn’t ready to stay indoors. I headed to my favorite lake hoping for some bird photography, knowing the conditions probably wouldn’t be ideal.

As it turned out, the birds had other plans. Most stayed hidden among the reeds, while the rest swam in the middle of the lake, well beyond the reach of my camera. After a while, it became clear that chasing them wasn’t going to lead anywhere.

Then I noticed a dragonfly hovering above the water, illuminated by the warm reflections of the evening sky. Photographing it with a super-telephoto lens wasn’t easy. Every slight movement sent it out of the frame, and keeping it in focus was much harder than it would have been with a shorter lens. After several attempts, though, I finally managed to capture a frame that I liked.

It’s not the detailed dragonfly portrait you might expect from a macro lens, but I don’t mind that. What I enjoy most about this photograph is the atmosphere. The glowing water became just as important as the dragonfly itself, turning a difficult evening into a completely different kind of image.

I left home hoping for bird photography, but dragonfly photography turned out to be the highlight of the walk. The birds stayed out of reach, but the evening still had something worthwhile to offer.

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Have you ever gone out hoping to photograph one subject and come home with something completely different? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.