Emperor Dragonfly in Flight at Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Welcome to my wildlife photography journal! On 26th July 2026, I spent some time at Warnham Local Nature Reserve photographing one of the UK's impressive dragonflies, the Emperor Dragonfly. With the reserve providing plenty of opportunities to watch wildlife in flight, it was a great chance to concentrate on the challenges of photographing a dragonfly on the wing.

Capturing dragonflies in flight is always a real test of timing, focus and patience. Their speed and unpredictable changes of direction can make it difficult to keep them in the frame and achieve a sharp image. Unlike a perched dragonfly, there is no opportunity to simply compose the photograph and wait for the perfect moment — everything happens quickly, and you have to be ready to react to their movements.

The Emperor Dragonfly is particularly impressive to watch as it patrols its surroundings, constantly changing direction as it moves through the air. Being able to capture some flight shots of this species in its natural surroundings made the effort worthwhile and provided a good opportunity to work on this challenging type of wildlife photography.

Another enjoyable session at Warnham Local Nature Reserve, with plenty of opportunities to photograph wildlife on the wing. It is sessions like this that make returning to the reserve so rewarding, as there is always another behaviour, species or photographic challenge to work on.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to explore my other wildlife photography adventures from Warnham Local Nature Reserve and beyond. Every visit brings something different, and I look forward to sharing more moments from the field soon.