Bee Mine
https:--goshphotography.smugmug.com-
https:--goshphotography.smugmug.com-
Read less
Read less
Sep, 2015Views
222
Likes
Awards
Legendary Award
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 30 rank
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Quail Hollow State Park in Hartville Ohio. Central to the Park is a 40-room Manor with a landscaped grounds including a magnificent garden. Bees are tempted by the wide variety of flowers in the garden.Time
I headed out fairly early with my Cousin and we spen a large chunk of the morning traipsing through the hiking trails and avoiding the hot, direct sun. This was taken after we returned to the Manor and spent some time enjoying the flowers, butterflies and bees hanging around. I actually can't remember the exact time it was taken. My Flickr data seems off as well(I'll have to get my camera settings adjusted properly). I want to say it was only a little before Noon. By the time we made it to the garden, the sun was high, very bright and beaming down on everyone and everything.Lighting
I'm quite proud of this photo for the lateral view of the bee. Having an enormous amount of sunlight didn't hurt either. With just the right amount of patience, I actually managed the shot I wanted.Equipment
While I am very anxious to get my hands on a Nikon D810, this was taken on my trusty D3000. I really love this camera and feel that its only shortcoming is that it's a crop-sensor camera. Apart from that, I find that I can still grow as a photographer with my style. I was using my Tamron 90mm macro lens as well. There are times when I use a tripod simply to help stabilize myself. I have a 3-leg one that I use sometimes like a mono-pod. I'll still tilt and balance it on one leg for more mobility, while reducing shaking. I still had to "hold" it in place as I had to get the lens very close to the flower to get this kind of macro shot. The rest was patience.Inspiration
Honestly? My Tamron macro lens. That's it. I was in the garden and saw all the bees and butterflies and knew I wanted to try for a great macro photo. After standing for a short while, peering through my viewfinder, I knew I wanted to get as much of the bee in focus as I could.Editing
These days I usually do a bit of post-processing in Lightroom. Depending on my photo, I like to tweak contrast, warmth, sharpness and colors. I think I bumped up the pink at the tips of the flower for sure.In my camera bag
I don't own a lot of equipment really. And I'm always refining the lenses and equipment I want to get my hands on. I own some prime lenses and like them a lot. I try to always have my Nikon 50mm f/1.8G as my everday, point-and-shoot lens. I also have the 18-55mm kit lens that I still like to use - I especially love trying to get good photos with it at 18mm. And I own a Tamron 90mm Macro. I of course would like to get a dedicated ultra-wide angle like a Nikon 18mm or even play with a budget 14mm fisheye. And to round out my lenses a nice telephoto.Feedback
Work with what you have. It sounds trite and like a punishment if you absolutely can't afford anything else. Obviously if we all had unlimited funds we'd be buying more and still working with what we have, but I honestly started with an 18-55mm and used it for a very long time, pushing myself as I learned about ISO, Aperture, lighting and focus. Even if I get other lenses in the near future, I will never stop learning. The more you get into photography the more you discover there's a limitless sea of things to learn and ways to utilize any lens. I captured this photo mainly out of patience. I stood, half-bent over a flower trying to do as little moving as possible so as not to scare the bees away, yet they were still flighty and would buzz in, land, crawl around and fly off sometimes before I could manage any shot. So I'd say a macro shot like this is mostly patience.
