“One day I was shooting some insects, when I stumbled upon a somewhat lazy fly,” Nicholas says. “It was just sitting there on the ground, walking slowly when I approached it. I thought this was the perfect opportunity for some photos [because] I could get really close to the fly.
So close that I could add a little prop perhaps? So I rushed inside and made a small paper board sign that said “will work 4 food”. After a successful photo, the idea for a Mr. Fly series sprouted and I started to design tiny props in preparation of more shots.”
Nicholas admits shooting Mr. Fly isn’t easy. The number one question on most people’s minds when looking at his series is whether the fly is dead or alive. Nicholas assures us the fly is alive. He’s, however, very secretive about how exactly he gets it to pose!
“I wanted to make people look at things in a different way,” Nicholas explains. “Sure, you see flies every day, but do you look at them in wonder? In my eyes, Mr. Fly is a metaphor for all the things we get used to … the things we walk past every day, the things we hardly notice. But all of these things deserve some attention too, and we shouldn’t take so many things for granted.”