Syrphid Fly - from Belize

[Steve Maxson]

I photographed this very colorful fly last January in a lightbox setup during a workshop in Belize. I was quite surprised when the professional Entomologists in our group identified this as a syrphid fly (aka - flower fly, hover fly) (Family Syrphidae) because all the syrphids I had seen previously were mimics of bees or wasps and typically were colored in various shades of yellow and black. 1D IV, 100 mm macro, 1/100, f/16, ISO 200, 2 remotely fired flashes, hand held. All comments are welcome and appreciated.

[Mitch Haimov]

Quite cool, Steve! Nice sharpness and detail, astonishing subject. White BG shows off your dark subject well. I was shocked when I saw the title and thumbnail as I, too, have come to think of syrphids as bee and wasp mimics. Thorax looks like chrome reflecting blues and greens and the wings like plastic; aside from the legs it looks like a sculpture of a fly.

[Jonathan Ashton]

A remarkable little fly what enormous compound eyes, as ever I lve the excellent detail and those little yellow hairy claws are really eye catching. I too would never have guessed what it was. Lovely shot Steve.

[Nancy Bell]

I love these highly colored, highly detailed images with the all-white background! This one has incredible iridescent colors. Super well done. Just how do you keep a fly still to photograph it in a lightbox?

[Steve Maxson]

Just how do you keep a fly still to photograph it in a lightbox?

The way I handle flies, bees, and wasps is to place them in a refrigerator for about 10 minutes to cool (slow) them down. Some species which are better adapted to cool temperatures may take longer. Otherwise, they just ... fly away. They quickly recover after refrigeration and many times I end up chasing them around the house trying to recapture them.

[Jason Stander]

Wow what a critter... Beautiful colors... Your exposure is impeccable... Great detail... Maybe a lower angle would have worked for me... But otherwise stunner Steve... WD!

[Satish Ranadive]

Absolutely superb creation. Wonderful colors.

Regards,
Satish.

[OvidiuCavasdan]

Amazing colors and huge eyes, excellent sharpness and details. Besides the greens/blues that are very nice I like a lot the glossy look and colour on the wings.