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Thanks for the compliment! :o)

I haven't seen the photo come up yet so I can't say for sure right now but here's a general rule I've sort of come up on my own when it comes to deciding between using a macro setting or optical zoom. If the object is smaller than 3 inches across use the macro setting. This rule isn't written in stone however as I've discovered such things as water lilies can be shot either way mainly depending upon how close you can actually get to them or want to get to them. I know that a lot of folks like to fill the frame completely with whatever the subject is (I think most photographers prefer it this way), but I'm one of the few who personally prefer a little more background in my photos than most so it might be good to get a few additional opinions here.

I'm still waiting for your photo to show up so that's about all I know to say for right now. Hope this helps in the meantime.

For macro, closer is going to be better.  For most true macro shots, you are going to be practically on top of your subject!  For insects, you'll have to judge how close you can get before you scare them off.  If it's less than 6 inches, turn on the macro mode.  Getting closer also throws the background more out of focus as well - which brings out your subject even more.  In your photo, what will help is to crop out the background so that your attention is focused on the dragonflies since they blend in so well with their surroundings.

Shooting wider (as Java55 suggests) can be interesting too, but it does make it harder to see things like insects.  You can turn on the "macro mode" in non macro situations and it still focuses ok, but you're taking a close-up vs. a true macro.

I have a Canon PowerShot SD700 and love the macro mode.  Believe it or not, it's much much easier (most of the time) to get macro shots with the small PowerShot.  When I use my dslr, I have to get out the macro lenses (or extension tubes) and really get close to the subject and manually focus.  That can be fun photography too, but the PowerShot is definitely "easier".

Hope this helps.

Closer is definitely better in cases like dragonflies. One thing I've found about photographing dragonflies is being fortunate enough to have a background that is in contrast to the dragonflies. Sometimes the sky above them (if possible) makes a great background. I might have to dig through my archives and find a dragonfly photo I took at the edge of a cliff with lots of sky in the background and post it here. One of the reasons I hadn't posted it already was the fact the horizon in the background wasn't level, but then again neither was the dragonfly. If I leveled one the other looked weird so I settled for both being out of level to balance the photo. Now I just got to find the photo and get it uploaded...

I just uploaded two photos of a dragonfly I found while visiting the cliffs at Occoneechee Mountain (near Hillsborough) last spring. One has the sky and horizon as the background and the other was shot from above with the ground below it as a background. Finding good contrasting backgrounds for such photos I believe is more luck than skill however and I think I just got really lucky! Now we'll just have to wait until these photos show up.

It sure beats reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Digital Photography Like a Pro! I bought the book a few mts ago but haven't had time to do much reading... too busy taking pictures. I appreciate the response Dave and Java55. It's good to know I was not completely off-track. But tell me Dave, how would you shoot the same scene if you were say 1' from the subject (using my camera) and would you shoot in aperature priority? In incomparrison to shooting flowers (which I love) it's a real challenge when it comes to the little creatures and as for turning macro on or off... the least movement will probably frighten the subject. Perhaps at that point I should change my camera settings and do a little experimenting. And then there's the wind.... now that's been a real challenge! Please remember, all helpful comments are greatly appreciated and hopefully will bring me a little closer to becoming a good photographer.

jpoverby

...just so they don't get too lost in the archives.

The previews look pretty good but I think if I had a camera with twice the resolution packed into the oversized area which the original photos are displayed, the originals would look much better. These photos were taken using a FujiFilm FinePix F410 at maximum settings (being 3.1 mpx displayed on a 6 mpx viewing area). it works well for prints up to 16x20 maximum, but as for viewing on a computer monitor they do look a bit pixelated in their full size. I think what I need is a camera upgrade to at least 6 mpx on a 6 mpx display area and I will be happy. Any more than that and I might find myself taking too many landscape photos with lots of background in them as I love looking over all the things in the backgrounds that I didn't notice while taking the pictures.

I wish the previews would come out a bit sharper though...

Dave, disregard my last question. There are a lot of variables and as Java55 said luck also. I was hesitant to post the pic but when seen in the original the fairy-like appearance of the dragonflies was very unusual. Unfortunately the background contrast was not better.

I just posted a picture (Red Mushrooms) taken with a Nikon 100mm Macro lens.  It has been my experience that a true macro lens will provide better sharpness than a Zoom lens with a macro setting.  I use this lens on my D70 DSLR now that I am using digital.  It was rchased to be used on a film camera.  Another difference between a standard lens and a macro is how they focus.  The amount of travel on the focusing ring of a macro is much greater at the  short distances than a tandard.  This allows for more precise focusing in close.  My assumption is that a digital camera with a macro setting is much like a zoom with a  macro setting.  In that case the zoom setting allowes the lens to focus up close.  You might say that is obius but the reason you would not want to shoot in the macro setting all of the time is that if the camera is having trouble focusing it works the full range of the lens and therefor takes longer.  If the macro setting is off it only works from infenty to maybe 24 inches as aposed to infienty to 2 inches. 

I would like to have posted a small version of the picture here but at this point I have not figured out how to do that.

Java55, I shot the dragonfly just posted as you suggested. The sun was setting and the only way I could shoot with the sky background was to get on my knees. It was one of those lucky shots- I didn't fall into the pond!

jpoverby