Just to add a few points that I missed in the first post....

Often it helps to sit still in a spot that the insect of interest frequents....they usually come back...chasing them around is not very effective.

Dragonflies ( and damsels)  in particular seem to have a flight circuit and spots where they like to rest...if you can find where their favorite spot(s) are....set up close by.

A monopod can help for stabilization....failing that, a stick or even a garden spade will do just fine. 

In youth, we learn....with age, we understand.