Name: Ronald Zimmerman
Picture title: Dancing Fairies
Category: Insects
Nationality: Dutch
Occupation: Photographer

Ronald says:
‘In October 2019 I was on the lookout for European bison in Nationaal Park Zuid-Kennemerland, Netherlands, when large numbers of flying insects caught my attention. It was as if little fairies were dancing above the edge of the lake. This totally made up for the absence of bisons. 

The “dancing fairies” are actually Mayfly (order Ephemeroptera). Dayfly is another common name. This is much closer to the Dutch common name “eendagsvlieg” which means “one day fly”. This name refers to their short life spans.

Male adult mayflies perform a courtship dance near water. Each insect has a characteristic up-and-down pattern of movement; strong wingbeats propel it upwards and forwards with the tail sloping down; when it stops moving its wings, it falls passively. This is why I describe them as “dancing fairies”. Females fly into these swarms, and mating takes place in the air. The eggs are often dropped onto the surface of the water.

I wanted to capture that upwards movement of the male Mayflies. The background is a second long exposure of the lake and shrubs to create a magical underwater world.’

Technical information
Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
ISO 1600
f/25
1/25sec
Accessories: None
Post processing: Basic adjustments and cropping in Lightroom Classic and Photoshop.

Website: ronaldzimmerman.nl
Instagram: ronaldzimmerman.nl
Twitter: RZPhotoNL
Facebook: ronaldzimmerman.nl
Flickr: ronaldz85