Bee fly (Bombylius major). Copyright Peter Drury 2010
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From Bee Flies (Bombylius major)
PeterD-2009
on April 17, 2010Hi Nathan - thanks for your comment. The Bee fly hovers very much as the hover flies (Syrphidae) do. This adds an element which gives you a chance. They do dash off though in any direction if disturbed during hovering and in these circumstances it becomes imposible to keep them in the frame. I have found that they seem to have favourite spots (usually ib full sunlight) at which they will hover. Move slowly into position and wait. The fly will return provided you remain still, Equipment used : Olympus E500 + EC1.4 + Sigma 150mm Macro. Camera settings F8, 1/160 s exposure + flash. Method: Manual pre-focus then let the AF take over. I use C-AF to ensure final focussing takes place when the shutter button is fully pressed. Hope that helps.
Ethan Winning
on April 17, 2010Wow! How do you get them in flight?