Fly Bye.

Cleaning up my conservatory this morning after it had performed beyond expectations yesterday as a studio, I bumped into this fella just wandering across the erstwhile workplace and thought to myself, "Now there's a big fella!" Looked like he had armour on his back.

When I returned a few minutes later, he had made his way about 100yds towards the french doors leading into the garden. It was in fact only about two feet, but relative to his size, I'd guess about 100yds! So I watched his progress. It was slow. Certainly wasn't going to break any records nor be selected for the Fly Circus Olympics squad for 2012.

Bold as brass, I went down to him to find out if he was lost.

"Can I help you fella"...I said, suddenly panicking and turning round just to check nobody had snuck into the room to witness the lunatic on his knees chatting to a fly! Rude bugger didn't reply, didn't even say hello. I asked him again, but he had stopped at this point, so I'm guessing he heard me.

"Are you lost?" - I continued..."Looking for some s***?" I said, amusing myself enough to cause a near snort...again turning and double checking no-one may have heard the private joke. I was now close enough to have expected him to fly off. I gave a gentle blow which accelerated his journey pushing him at least another 50 yards. But he wasn't intimidated. He halted and did the front legs over his antenna/head thing they do, as if to clean away the deposits that survive in the mist of my breath.

Intrigued, I fetched my camera and did the old reversed lens trick (yes I know...time I got a macro lens!). To my amazement, he didn't fly off. Just kept making his way towards the conservatory doors.

There's me, sliding along floor, trying to stabilize the lens onto the lens dock so as not to let in too much light whilst trying to see where he was, for you have no spacial awareness when shooting like this as everything is out of focus!....then suddenly, a black blur moves through my vision. I move in and out to focus in on the little chappy, and there he is, in all his glory. Sadly, I'm excited at having achieved this small wonder without inducing either fright or flight!

I take a couple of shots, the motor not seeming to bother him, and low and behold, just after the third shot, he turns (rather tilts) his head towards me. There he is, looking straight at me through the lens. Why such a thing would give me pleasure I'm not sure.

Downloaded straight away, and felt it was good enough for blip despite no macro lens (OK, not as good as a lot of the bug photographers on blip, but no Macro lens for me). I reviewed it in Lightroom, deciding it was a shame I hadn't quite got enough in focus, so in the vain hope he would still be loitering in my 'photographic studio of repute', set off to find him still there, frozen to the spot.

Didn't take me long to realise that I had, just a few minutes before, witnessed the dying moments of this wee fella's life. I felt privileged in a way, that I had shared this moment with him. And to think, that he will be making his way to Fly Heaven...the last image etched on his minds eye is his own refection thrown back at him by my lens.

Guess that's better than a car windscreen?


PS - As usual, best large.