Why did I do it ?

Whatever possesses a grown man to want to take a picture of a swarm of midges ?

Because they were there, well that certainly true as I took the path by the river there was a really tight swarm of them in a ball like shape flying over the top over the river. I did not have my camera gear out at that point in time but I said to myself that if they were there on my return I might try and get a shot of them. And there they were when I returned some ten minutes later in exactly the same spot. Why do they do that, stay in the same spot ? Is it some sort of feeding frenzy ?

Because the other blip options were pretty slim, well that’s true as well. My other shots were of a group of gulls feeding disconsolately on the beach and of a surfer returning home past the bridge to nowhere.

Because they present a photographic challenge. Well that certainly was true. With a lens combination of 450mm equivalent SLR lens and a monopod I ended up having to shoot at 1600 ISO at maximum aperture of f4 at two stops underexposed in order to get a shutter speed of 1/2000th which was sufficient to stop the whirling dervish-like frenzy of midges in its track and give me a few midges that were adequately sharp.

Because the camera could see more than the naked eye, true again and my previous blip of midges on the water made them look like little aeroplanes (See Here), this time with their legs hanging free they look more insect like and maybe a bit pathetic. See LARGE

Because I am a sado-masochist who wants to get bitten, I did not think of that at the time but fortunately I came away unscathed.

Because they presented a pictorial opportunity, no not really I was in too close to show the ball like shape of the cluster and picking out a reasonable composition in processing relied more on picking out the few that were sharp than creating a pleasing pattern.

Why do we photographers take pictures of things !!