Photographs of mini flyers are close-up photos of flying insects. The exhibition, from 21 October 2022 to 14 May 2023 is on the railing fence of the Jardin des Plants (the botanical garden) in Paris. The exhibition is hosted by the Paris National Museum of Natural History. The French phrase for mini flyers is mini voltigeurs.
The photographs show the strength, rigidity, flexibility, and weight of insect wings. Insects use turbulence (movement of air) in their environment to create an airflow around their wings to produce a strong, upward force.
Their small flapping wings are more like rotor blades than aircraft wings. But rotor blades are not efficient, and insect wings can do more movements than rotor blades. Insects orient their wings to change during flapping to enable elliptical lifts. So, insects are like a helicopter with rotor blades that can be tilted and change shape to vary the angle of flight during each rotation.
The photographer, Ghislain Simard, has been an insect enthusiast since childhood. He has developed specific photographic techniques designed to capture the fast movements of the smallest insects. His photographs have won awards at the International Wildlife Photography Festival in Montier-en-Der, where he regularly exhibits his work.
Location of photographs: Paris, France
Photographer: Ghislain Simard
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM