The bee
The bees love the coconut flowers here in Belize.
The bees love the coconut flowers here in Belize.
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Mar, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken during an early morning fishing trip (for my husband, I fish for the best shots :) ) in Placencia, Belize.Time
The sun was just peeping over the horizon and it was hot! I was sitting under a coconut tree waiting for the spectacular sunrise when I heard the buzzing. Looking up I saw the bees dancing round the coconut blooms. I was fascinated, thinking to myself - off course bees have to pollinate the coconut trees, but being from South Africa I never really had to think about it. The sunrise came and went and I was still chasing the bees around the tree.Lighting
I was geared up for taking some awesome sunrise photos, waiting for that golden hour. I was so excited when the sun came up and I could experience the vibrancy of colors on the coconut tree. It seemed like that first hour of full light gives us a glimpse into what a true yellow or true green looks like. The first green and yellow ever seen.Equipment
As I am a lifestyle photographer, I try to keep my gear to a minimum and it is more about the excitement of the moment to moment decisions when it comes to each shot. So I had my Canon 550D and my lens - the standard one that came with the camera 18-55mm. I almost never use the flash, there is a funny story why that is, but will leave that for another time.Inspiration
The moment inspired me - It was there so I did it. I love bees, I love what they mean to us and how fascinating they are, their lives in the hives. I have worked with them before and seeing them in another country made me really excited.Editing
Nope, no processing. It was one of those lucky shots, where the light and everything just worked for me. I do like to make the photos pop a bit, so I put a rounded edge around it, for now - I like the way it prints.In my camera bag
I have my camera, two lenses and a micro-fibre cloth to keep my lenses clean. This suits my grab and go mentality really well.Feedback
Taking photos of bees, you need to be creative in your angles, not being scared of them helps too. I have complete trust in my camera and my angles, so even if I have to take a shot blindly, by sticking my camera in the tree and clicking away I will do so. Trust off course comes by spending a lot of time on your knees and stomach, checking each angle as you take the shot and being willing to delete most of those. I can't really give advice on camera settings as I rely heavily on what light is available to me in each moment.
