Today was a work day for me and, as I sometimes do to get some stress relief, I paid a brief lunch time visit to the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in nearby Bay Village, Ohio. It seems like this is my "Dragonfly Summer" as I took advantage of several opportunities to photograph the insects. The creature pictured above posed at the end of a twig anchored in the Center's lovely water feature. This was a "super-macro" shot, not telephoto, so the camera lens was mere inches from the subject. Yes, it almost appears to be smiling for the camera! The 15-minute break helped me a great deal.
PhotonStopper 
Wow! Amazing that it let you get that close.
Yes, definitely a surprise to me as well. Dragonflies are predators but also very wary of approaching threats like giant animals carrying cameras. Or perhaps they just hate the paparazzi. — JG