timmc

Honey Maker

This lovely bee seemed to enjoy having his photo taken.

This lovely bee seemed to enjoy having his photo taken.
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Canon EOS 5D Mark II

settings

Aperture f/11.0 ISO 400 Shutter 1/200

upload_date

Nov, 2014

Views

2168

Likes

+334

Awards

Featured

Contest Finalist in Plants And Critters Photo Contest

Contest Finalist in Flying Insects Photo Contest

Winner in Honey Bee Photo Challenge

Peer Award

+74

Superb Composition

+44

Top Choice

+42

Absolute Masterpiece

+35

Superior Skill

+20

Magnificent Capture

+10

Outstanding Creativity

All Star

Genius

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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in the forest behind my home. I enjoy the time I get to spend combing through the grasses and wildflowers searching for my next interesting subject. I am mostly self taught and have also learned a lot by joining the "Beaumont Camera Club" a local club for fellow photo enthusiasts.

Time

This is one of my better macro shots. The day I took this I went out mid-morning specifically looking for this shot. I had read some articles on images where the subject and the background were of a similar color. I knew the yellow wildflowers were favorites of the honey bees and small hoverflies. It did not take long to find a comfortable place to wait for this bee to grace me with such a great pose.

Lighting

As with most macro work it takes a lot of light to get the proper depth of field. What makes macro shot in nature so appealing to me is it is something you can do during the middle of the day when the light is too harsh for many other types of photography.

Equipment

When taking macro photos outdoors I use my Canon 5DII with the 100L IS lens attached. Most times I use my Canon 600EX-RT flash with a Flash bender attached. A flash bender is a flexible mat that attaches to the flash and can be bent forward to direct the light down and to the front of the lens. I have found that using this inexpensive light modifier has produced a very nice soft light with many of my macro photos.

Inspiration

I had recently been thumbing through photography magazine and there was an article on photos where the subject was of a similar color as the background. There was a picture of a beautiful white horse in a snow covered field. Now with that said I live in SE Texas. The chances I will see a white horse is pretty good but in a field of snow? Not Likely! What we do have is lots of wild flowers and insects. Hence my quest for the yellow honey bee on a yellow flower.

Editing

I usually do some adjustments to all my macro photos. Adjustments to Highlights and saturation are common and sometimes I will boost the contrast and clarity to push some of the smaller details.

In my camera bag

When I shoot macro I don't usually carry a bag anymore. The set-up I listed above with the addition of a tripod and more recently some extension tubes carried in a vest pocket are all that is required to make great photos. I am finding more and more when I limit the gear I take I force myself to stick with the original plan. I don't spend my time changing my gears configuration to chase some other subject. It allows me to stay focused and push my skills harder to find and photograph a subject that is suited to the gear I have with me.

Feedback

If you want to take macro photos of insects that are similar in color to their background you will need to do a little research. Most areas have yellow wildflowers and honey bees. There are also other subjects of many other colors that you could use. Staying close to your home or in your own back yard will give you the most time to spend taking photos of your chosen subject. That's what is great about macro photography, there are great opportunities all around us. As for the technical aspect: Keep your camera in the manual mode with the shutter speed at 200. (This is normally the max that will sync with the flash.) Your aperture needs to be a minimum of F11 to get enough depth of field and your flash should be in ETTL mode. You may need to decrease your flash power slightly to keep from having hot spots in the photo. With all that said; go out and find a subject you are interested in and enjoy spending quality time improving your skills and photographing an amazing creature.

See more amazing photos, follow timmc

timmc

timmc

Honey Maker

This lovely bee seemed to enjoy having his photo taken.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow timmc

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