SPEED FLYERS

Insect flight revealed

"speed flyers" brings the reader on a strange planet . In this world, gravity has less effect on living beings. Physics laws are different since it becomes easier to rely on the air to follow impossible path. Time is slower and second turns into eternity. The evolution of species found there more opportunities to create a fantastic diversity. To enter in this world, Ghislain Simard has developed special photographic techniques designed to freeze the fastest action of the insect world . He worked with the Hasselblad design department in Sweden to develop a hyper reactive camera and is equipped with special high-voltage flash units that allow a exposure time of only 1/111,000s !

The book 'Speed Flyers' has been published by Biotope Editions, and is available on their web site.

LES SECRETS DE LA PHOTO EN GROS PLAN

Basic techniques - Cameras - Expert Practices

Aimed at enthusiast macro photographers, this beautifully illustrated book explores the techniques of macro photography, starting with the basics and ending with alternative practices (multi flash, medium format, high-speed photography...).

Renowned for its stunning images of butterflies, dragonflies and insects caught in motion, Ghislain Simard helps the reader to discover the tiny world of nature in macro and gives him all the keys to succeed.

The book ' The Secrets of macrophotography' is published by Editions Eyrolles.

FLYING DRAGONS

Flying Dragons rule supreme over the world of insects. High-speed manoeuvres, instant changes of direction, hovering, reverse flight, dragonflies can do almost anything on the wing. The photographs of Ghislain SIMARD open a fresh window into a world where aerial motions are too fast to be observed by human eyes. The photographer’s lens offers a journey through miniature landscapes around ponds, canals, streams, rivers and peat bogs. The chapters are arranged to show the diversity of behaviour that these spectacular insects enjoy. Frail Damselflies are unpredictable, Broad-bodied Chasers always return to the same roost, Keeled Skimmers mate in flight, Common Darters play with their reflections in the water while the Emperor flaunts its aerial prowess.

The briskness of dragonflies’ actions turns the photography of their flight into an almost impossible task. To shoot such actions, high-speed equipment dedicated to flying insects is required. Some tools have even been designed specifically to arrest dragonflies in flight. The final section of the book details this working method for wildlife photographers.

'Flying dragons' is published by ALTUS Editions.

EN VOL - IN FLIGHT

Aerial acrobatics of butterflies

Ghislain had the chance to have a father who was butterflies collector. Therefore, very young, he could discover these splendid insects by listening to him spelling their superb names (Scarce Swallowtail, Orange-Tip, Black-Veined white, Painted Lady, etc) and describing their way of life. Very quickly, the butterflies became a passion ! But something disturbed me in collecting the butterflies : why killing them whereas one takes so much pleasure seeing them flying ? This gave me the solution :

«I will be nature photographer !».

Since then, he spent a lot of time in the nature taking pictures of butterflies. But, what makes them incomparable, it is the fact that they are true flying flowers ! The idea to take photographs of butterflies in flight became his main objective in the middle of the Nineties after I discovered the work of the English Photographer Stephen Dalton.. Since then, this objective never left him despite the encountered difficulties : ten years passed before he obtained results which correspond to the photographs he had in mind. The book "En vol" is the achievement of fifteen years of high-speed photography dedicated to flying butterflies.