Rainbow fly in flight

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Rainbow fly in flight

July 1, 2013 by Mike Powell

Yesterday evening when I saw a fly with a golden body perched on a leaf and decided to try to get a shot of it using my pop-up flash, several remarkable things happened.

Almost every time that I tripped the flash, the fly flew away for a split second and returned to the the leaf. Most of the the shots showed only a part of the fly’s body in the frame, but several of the images show the fly in mid-air, as you can see in the first and third image.

The flash also revealed that the fly is multi-colored to the point that I have named it a rainbow fly. (I have no idea of its real name). You can really see a lot of different colors in the second image, the only one that I managed to get of the fly sitting still.

Those who follow my blog know that I enjoy trying to capture shots of birds and insects in flight, but I never expected that I would get shots of a fly in flight, even accidentally. It shows once again the significant role that luck plays in getting interesting images.

Posted in Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography | Tagged Alexandria VA, Canon 100mm macro lens, Canon Rebel XT, fly, fly in flight, rainbow fly | 16 Comments

16 Responses

on July 1, 2013 at 5:33 pm | Reply Victor Rakmil

These are really hard to get just staying still! Nice job. I went out today hoping to get another chance and did not see any at all. My research tells me these are called long leg flies, but I stand to be corrected. Great shots!
- on July 1, 2013 at 5:41 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks for help with the tentative identification. I was really lucky in getting the in-flight shots, especially since I wasn’t really trying to do so. i just noticed that I ended up with some shadows from the legs, because of the difference in time between the shutter speed and the flash speed, as I think you explained in one of your recent postings.
on July 1, 2013 at 5:34 pm | Reply Mjollnir

A very apt name in my humble opinion 😀
- on July 1, 2013 at 5:42 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  I like to make up my own names when I can’t find (or don’t like) the real names. My names usually fit much better than the “real” ones.
  - on July 1, 2013 at 5:44 pm Mjollnir
    
    And why not?! 😀
on July 1, 2013 at 5:57 pm | Reply WoDuWo

Nice!
- on July 1, 2013 at 6:42 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. It was fun getting a shot like this.
on July 1, 2013 at 8:58 pm | Reply Joe Schelling

Excellent shots of a very tough subject!
- on July 1, 2013 at 9:21 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Joe. Luck played a huge role in getting the shots that I did. I am pretty sure that I don’t ever plan to intentionally try to capture flies in flight.
on July 1, 2013 at 11:48 pm | Reply Charlie@Seattle Trekker

Your in-flight shots are absolutely stunning…the uncompromised detail for such an amazing shot are breathtaking.
- on July 2, 2013 at 3:58 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Charlie. I wish I could claim credit for skill, but those shots were mostly luck. Still, I like the results.
on July 2, 2013 at 5:16 am | Reply Bruce Ruston

The colour on the fly is superb and great detail too
- on July 2, 2013 at 5:46 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Bruce. I didn’t realize that there were so many colors until I pulled up the images on my computer. When I took the photos, all I saw as a metallic, golden color.
on July 2, 2013 at 6:36 am | Reply New Hampshire Gardener

Those are pretty incredible photos! I love its eyes.
- on July 2, 2013 at 6:56 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  There are so many things I like about this fly–the eyes, the colors, the tiny little hairs. I do realize, though, that the motion shots were pure luck (with maybe a tiny bit of skill for the one in which it is perched on the leaf).
on July 2, 2013 at 1:52 pm | Reply lylekrahn

That’s the best looking fly I’ve ever seen.