Up until now, I've been unable to get a real decent shot of a fly. It seems the weight of my glance is enough to send one airborne -- as soon as I spot one, it takes off. This one was an exception. I spotted it on top of a tall plant about five feet away while walking through the Paul Wolff Forest Preserve near Elgin, Illinois.
I took my time moving into position and slowly pushed the camera ever closer. The fly came into focus and I fired, but the fly was turned more face-on to me and I really wanted a side view, so I came at it again. The fly turned sideways while I focused, then froze. Got it.
I am continually amazed at the level of intricate detail in the macro world.
I'm also pretty happy with my lighting setup, which delivers a nice dose of soft flash on the subject while maintaining a minus one to two stop exposure on the ambient. Makes the shots more dramatic that way. And it's all done with a 25-year-old flash unit, a cheap bracket and duct tape.
Pretty fly for an old white guy.
Photograph © 2009 James Jordan.
3 comments:
great shot! I'm trying to capture a mother Robin and her two little ones ... in a nest outside my front door. She is a very good mother and flies away as a decoy every time I open the door.
This made it easy to photograph the nest with the chicks in it, but no photo so far of the mother roosting.
I also commented on your previous post... best I've read on the subject thus far. ~Maria
Your photos are serious... but somehow they always hit my funny bone.....
My first thought....Does he FLY the RED EYE???
((groan..... sorry)))
LOL:Wanda
YIKES, that tickles !
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