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Foraging Bee



behind the lens badge

Just dropped in for a drink

Just dropped in for a drink
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2970

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Awards

Contest Finalist in The Textures Of Insects Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Shallow Depth Of Field Photo Contest
Featured
Contest Finalist in Plants And Critters Photo Contest
Curator's Choice
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Peer Award
Superb Composition
RetroRob mariadelcarmenllavayol richardeaton_9707 usually_outside_24 edandaniphone gman176 mjbranscome +47
Absolute Masterpiece
mohammadhadiboojariloodariche JJackRonalds robinh_7535 rueysung winnerslens31 kristenfelzscofield shifuxian +29
Top Choice
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Magnificent Capture
ErnieF Macpwm chuckmyer RobertSGartnerPhotography RachelNiquette rodmadill carolcardillo +18
Superior Skill
jleosadauskas mariadel RuwanFonseka Deb-Deb RobSartin matravers SuzMDixon +5
Outstanding Creativity
HuaweiP30Lite mhaeri Hood Blish surendrachaturvedi PinaRojas kayfiedler +2
All Star
deekaycee johannesoehl Badgrandad estercastillo08 LucyCMorr NazZzaR Winged1
Genius
sue-zon Tarunpal23

Emotions

Impressed
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Happy
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Top Ranks

The Textures Of Insects Photo ContestTop 10 rank
The Textures Of Insects Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 2
The Textures Of Insects Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Shallow Depth Of Field Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Shallow Depth Of Field Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 2
Shallow Depth Of Field Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Spring Photo Contest 2017Top 10 rank
Spring Photo Contest 2017Top 10 rank week 1
Macro Masterpieces Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Macro Masterpieces Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Insects And Critters Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Insects And Critters Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 1
Rule Of Thirds In Macro Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Rule Of Thirds In Macro Photo ContestTop 20 rank week 3
On The Wild Side Photo ContestTop 20 rank
On The Wild Side Photo ContestTop 30 rank week 2
Wtfocus Photo ContestTop 10 rank
Wtfocus Photo ContestTop 10 rank week 1
Tiny Subjects And Depth Photo ContestTop 30 rank
Tiny Subjects And Depth Photo ContestTop 30 rank week 1
Plants And Critters Photo ContestTop 20 rank
Plants And Critters Photo ContestTop 30 rank week 1

Categories


23 Comments | Report
carolcardillo PRO+
 
carolcardillo September 01, 2015
Yay, Dave! Congrats on Curator's Choice!
FrankSomma
 
FrankSomma September 04, 2015
WTG David!!
NatureLoverJJWal
 
NatureLoverJJWal September 04, 2015
Congratulations on your Award!
ElaineCatlingPhotography
 
ElaineCatlingPhotography September 19, 2015
Superb macro David
carolcardillo PRO+
 
carolcardillo October 19, 2015
Ace! Congrats, Dave, on your Finalist Award!
SuzMDixon
 
SuzMDixon October 19, 2015
Congratulations on being a finalist - great shot!
estercastillo08
 
estercastillo08 October 19, 2015
Congratulations on being a finalist, good luck
FrankSomma
 
FrankSomma October 21, 2015
Allright David! Fantastic result, congrats!
eelcovanroden PRO+
 
eelcovanroden October 26, 2015
Congratulations on your Finalists award!!
DaisiesMae
 
DaisiesMae October 29, 2015
Wonderful! Congrats. Love this shot!
nandicmb
 
nandicmb November 08, 2015
Congratulations on both your wins!
carolcardillo PRO+
 
carolcardillo March 30, 2017
Congrats on being Featured, Dave!
carolcardillo PRO+
 
carolcardillo June 16, 2017
congrats on being a finalist
FrankSomma
 
FrankSomma June 18, 2017
Wonderful result David. Amazing capture, congrats to you!
kathyk_abq
 
kathyk_abq June 22, 2017
Gorgeous macro, David! :)
NatureLoverJJWal
 
NatureLoverJJWal July 24, 2017
Amazing composition. Congratulations on your award!
RuwanFonseka PRO
 
RuwanFonseka August 06, 2017
Congratulations.
estercastillo08
 
estercastillo08 August 29, 2017
Congratulations being a finalist
NatureLoverJJWal
 
NatureLoverJJWal September 04, 2017
Congratulations on your finalist in textures!
carolcardillo PRO+
 
carolcardillo September 11, 2017
Another Finalist Win! Congrats, Dave
texaaronpueschel Platinum
 
texaaronpueschel May 15, 2018
Wow.
keepclicking
 
keepclicking October 30, 2018
Brilliant
ClaritaBethCanlasMiller PRO+
 
ClaritaBethCanlasMiller July 02, 2022
very cool photo
See all

Behind The Lens

Location

I took the photo at Bodnant Gardens which is a National Trust property in North Wales UK. There are a number of terraces to the garden and many of them contain nectar rich flowers such as these Verbena Bonariensis which are very attractive to bees and other insects.

Time

I took this photo in the late afternoon .. the bees were visiting the flowers consistently and it was case of choosing the right space with the warm sun behind me to illuminate the face of the bee. The bee has a straw-like tongue called a proboscis used for drinking liquids and also for tasting. When extended, the proboscis is about a quarter-inch long, the length needed to reach nectar deep inside flowers. So my intention was to photograph a bee head-on with extended proboscis. I was successful on this occasion as it was in the act of extending it.

Lighting

The light was good sunlight but not glaring and so it enabled me to use a fairly fast shutter and low ISO .. I did not have a flash and like to take photos with ambient light ..

Equipment

I used an Olympus EM1 micro four-thirds mirrorless camera fitted with an Olympus M60mm f/2.8macro lens. This is an excellent lens for macro use. I used an aperture of f/6.3 in order to get enough depth of field for sufficient detail and ISO 250 for good light and speed. The picture was taken hand-held with in-camera stabilisation. I don’t often use a tripod in fast moving scenarios.

Inspiration

I love taking pictures of insects and this was taken on a warm sunny August day when the insects were busy feeding .. I had the intention of getting a head-on shot and so it took some time moving around the flower head and waiting for a bee to feed in the right location. After a while it all came together. The inspiration was my love of insect photography and my intention of getting a good head-on shot. I also take inspiration from thinking of scenarios for future ViewBug contests .. I find that my head is always switched on to that idea.

Editing

I always take my photos in RAW in order to maximise my post production options .. JPEG photos are excellent but the camera makes decisions based on settings made. Raw photos on the other hand need some processing to bring them to an acceptable standard but the options are more varied and without JPEG artifacts to contend with. So there was some work required on sharpening and contrast but this 60mm macro lens is an excellent one for contrast..

In my camera bag

I normally have one camera and one lens based on my own decision for the day before I go out. If I make a wrong decision, I have only myself to blame. I have a number of lenses normally tend to favour a mid-range zoom 12-100mm or 80-150mm. I also carry a lens cleaning cloth, lens wipe, and blower. Whilst photographing, I use a Blackrapid Strap to carry the camera by my side with a wrist strap for extra security.

Feedback

I am an amateur photographer and am aware that some know a lot more about photography than me but in my own zone, I am capable of computing shutter speed and aperture considerations for my perceived outcome.. all I can say to people wanting to know how to take photos like this is know your camera capability and don’t make silly mistakes like too slow a shutter speed. Be ready to increase your ISO if required to get sufficient shutter speed to freeze the action and give you an aperture that gives sufficient depth of field. Let as much light into the lens as possible without blowing out highlights. Also be careful to squeeze the shutter release carefully and deliberately, don’t snatch it because that can induce camera shake.

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