Fly legs are somewhat challenging subjects. Because they are so opaque they are poor subjects for substage lighting and their very dark color makes them poor subjects for superstage lighting. Though enough light shines through to be visible through the eye piece, the huge contrast between the field and the subject makes photography very difficult!

Aside from their dark color, the most obvious feature of fly legs is their hariness. This includes the coarse hairs which are easily visible at low power (or through a magnifying glass), and much finer hairs which are barely visible even at 400X. The fly's feet, like those of most insects, have hooks. They also have sticky pads which contain the fly's taste buds. As a fly walks on something it is also tasting it. A fly cannot fly upside down but it can throw its front legs above its head and then flip the rest of its body over. This is the secret of how flies land on cielings, a subject that resulted in much speculation in the past.