flying bee with open wings
I love the way the bee is still but you can see the motion of the wings as it waits patiently for its turn at the peony.
I love the way the bee is still but you can see the motion of the wings as it waits patiently for its turn at the peony.
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Mar, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo while walking through a garden where I was working. There was a bush of peonies in full bloom and it was absolutely buzzing with honeybees. I probably took 30 photos to capture this one of a bee waiting patiently for its turn to grab some pollen.Time
The image was taken around midday - normally not a great time for photos, but I was on my lunch break.Lighting
The sun was directly overhead as you can see from the reflection on the bee's abdomen.Equipment
This was shot with a Nikon D5500 and a Nikon 5WM VR IF Micro 1:1 062 lens. As much as I would have loved using a tripod, the bees wouldn't cooperate with such a setup.Inspiration
I was writing a book called Backyard Bees and Recipes, about backyard beekeeping, and needed a good cover image. At the time, 95% of the world's population of bees had died off for unexplained reasons, so the book was a way to teach anyone how to set up a hive and harvest the honey. Frankly, the bees do all of the work, and you end up with 60lbs. of honey. The book shows different ways to use up all of that golden nectar.Editing
The only post processing was a slight crop and light correction.In my camera bag
I normally have a basic Nikon D5500 kit that includes the camera body, wide angle lens and basic telephoto lens. If I know that I'm going to be shooting microphotography, I'll bring the micro lens, but it is bulky so it doesn't always travel with me. It is all packed in a camera backpack. If I'm taking portraits, I'll also pack a tripod, some reflectors, and a couple of lights.Feedback
The most important way to get a shot like this is to invest in the micro lens. A regular kit lens will not be able to focus on the minute detail in the bee's wings. Also, keep clicking away when you find some bees that are actively feeding. They move pretty quickly, so you will get more shots of the bee's abdomen (rear) which isn't very interesting. It will likely take several tries in order to get the shot where you can see the bee's eyes, but that is where the magic happens.
