I photographed this Horsefly while in was on an old rusty mailbox here in Arkansas (9-13-2016).

Horsefly On Rusty Metal
Horsefly On Rusty Metal

Adult horseflies feed on nectar. The males have weak mouth parts and only the females bite animals to get enough blood protein to produce eggs. The female mouth sections are shaped into a sturdy stabbing organ with two pairs of sharp cutting blades, and a sponge-like portion used to lap the blood flowing from the wound.

How I Got The Shot – Horsefly

I was hand holding a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with the Canon EF 100 – 400 mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens attached. I was also using a Blackrapid Camera strap.

Camera Settings

  • AV Mode
  • Back-button Focus
  • Aperture f7.1
  • ISO 800
  • Shutter speed – 1/1000 of a second
  • Auto White Balance
  • Single Point, Continuous Auto Focus
  • Evaluative Metering
  • Focal Length – 400 mm