Flying Rods

Just for fun I decided to photograph some backyard insects. This was to make a point about something that irks me. Maybe you've seen videos or photos of strange looking "Flying Rods".  There are plenty of internet sites that talk about them: Flying Rods for instance. Or this gem of a site. Naturally, these sites are dedicated to non-natural explanations of Rods. Why come up with something prosaic and normal when you can speculate all kinds of weird things instead? That was sarcasm, if it wasn't obvious.

Anyway, Rods are nothing more than insects of various kinds: flies (several species), midges, gnats, etc. My gallery has no explanations for each photo, but feel free to browse. Note the information accompanying each photo though, because the primary differences in the pics comes from the varied shutter speeds. In brief, long exposure times, with shutter speeds at or below 1/60 sec, make you see Flying Rods, and short exposure times (above 1/1250 and up to 1/5000 sec) let you see the individual insects as they really are.

Not all is in focus, because...well YOU try photographing things moving at a gazillion mph that won't cooperate and stay in your focal plane!

Enjoy, ask questions, and go out and try it yourself for fun. I know at least one person who will read this who has High Speed video capability (ahem, Barbara).

Click on "View All" to see the gallery and to be able to zoom in on each photo.