Some lessons don’t start with words, but with a simple challenge.
As my wife is getting used to her Sigma 100–400mm, one of the hardest parts has been not the zoom—but finding and locking focus on something small, fast, and unpredictable. So I gave her something to return to whenever the scene felt overwhelming: a hoverfly.
I picked up my Canon 5D Mark IV with the Canon 100–400mm, found a member of the family Syrphidae (hoverflies), zoomed all the way in, took a shot, and showed her what was possible. “Whenever you’re unsure what to shoot,” I told her, “find a hoverfly and practice.”
Hoverflies are perfect teachers. They mimic bees and wasps, yet they hover with remarkable precision, holding position mid-air thanks to wingbeats of up to 200 times per second. Small, erratic, easily lost in the frame—exactly the kind of subject that forces you to slow down, anticipate, and truly see.
Throughout the day, I noticed her raising her camera at moments I couldn’t even follow. Practicing. Missing. Trying again.
And then, at the end of the day, she showed me this image.
Taken with her Canon 7D Mark II and Sigma 100–400mm, fully zoomed in.
Progress doesn’t always shout. Sometimes it hovers quietly in front of you—waiting to be seen.
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