ADVERTISEMENT

Just when we think we’ve seen everything, nature finds another way to amaze us. Artist and photographer Christian Spencer was spending the day on his verandah in Rio de Janeiro when he noticed something wonderful. The sun striking the wings of a Jacobin hummingbird, producing a beautiful light prism effect. At that moment, it looked as if the small birdy was a tiny flying rainbow.

More info: christianspencer.pro.br

Christian Spence captured the sun illuminating a black Jacobin hummingbird

Image credits: christianspencerphoto

Image credits: christianspencerphoto

It created is a prism effect which makes it look as though the creature’s body is as colorful as a rainbow

Image credits: christianspencerphoto

Image credits: christianspencerphoto

“There is no special technique, just diffraction of light through the wings of this special hummingbird”

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: christianspencerphoto

Image credits: christianspencerphoto

In 2011, Spencer captured the beautiul bird’s movements for a film called The Dance of Time. Since then, it has received 10 international awards as well as three best film honors. But there were more rainbow-colored hummingbirds to come. A few years later, Spencer revisited the subject. “I decided to try and photograph the same phenomenon created by birds’ wings with my camera,” he told My Modern Met. His latest creative endeavors resulted in a series called Winged Prism, and for Spencer, the beautiful photos reveal “a secret of nature that cannot be seen with our eyes.”

Image credits: christianspencerphoto

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: christianspencerphoto

Spencer said he didn’t use any digital manipulation while creating the series. “There is no special technique,” he explained, “just diffraction of light through the wings of these colorful birds.”

ADVERTISEMENT

“Nobody ever could have ever dreamed that this was a reality. I receive emails every day from people across the world touched by these images.”

Image credits: christianspencerphoto

People were completely mesmerized by the colors

ADVERTISEMENT