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marciaborell

bee hanging in there.JPG

This is the biggest bee I have ever seen hanging on a milkweed blossom. This is my chance to support the bees, monarch butterflies, and also the Milkweed. The b...
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This is the biggest bee I have ever seen hanging on a milkweed blossom. This is my chance to support the bees, monarch butterflies, and also the Milkweed. The blossoms have the sweetest aroma. I have never had as many bees in my garden.
Read less

iPhone SE (2nd generation)

settings

Aperture 9/5 ISO 20 Shutter 1/247 Focal Length 399/100

location

Traverse City, Michigan, US

upload_date

Jul, 2021

Views

117

Likes

Awards

Hidden Gem Award

Peer Award

Absolute Masterpiece

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Same photographer See all Behind The Lens

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Behind The Lens

Location

I have many gardens to support raising monarch butterflies. This carpenter bee is busily sipping nectar from my Common Milkweed plant. The flowers have a wonderfully sweet aroma. This is the largest bee I have ever seen.

Time

I took this photo at 2:39 PM on June 22, 2021. It is lovely to go out into my garden and hear the buzzing of the bees. I have seen more bees this year than I have for others. I am so happy to see this.

Lighting

Nature provided the lighting. I was a bright sunny day perfect for spending time in the garden.

Equipment

I was using my iPhone SE. It fits in my pocket and is small enough that it doesn't cast a large shadow on the insects I am trying to shoot. I am getting very good at standing absolutely still and then moving my hands and phone closer and closer to the insect until I get the shot I want. Also the noise it makes is minimal outside. Some cameras have a very loud shutter and that will startle an insect especially if I am a few inches from it. It takes time and patience and being OK with the photos that fly or crawl away.

Inspiration

I have gardens that are packed with a variety of plants and flowers. I have several varieties of milkweed, roses, butterfly weed (orange, yellow, pink, and white), Russian sage, hollyhocks, tiger lilies, hostas, grapes, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, etc. Something for everyone and everything to eat. My gardens give me a great opportunity to find unique insects and birds to photograph. Seeing this huge bee on the milkweed made me so happy. I took lots of photos and this one was my favorite.

Editing

The only thing I did was to crop it a little bit.

In my camera bag

For my insect photos - only my phone. If I forget it I know I will miss some really amazing opportunities and photos.

Feedback

Always carry something that will record what you see. I hate it when I say or think - dang I should have had my camera with me. Best wishes and great success to all.

See more amazing photos, follow marciaborell

marciaborell

marciaborell

bee hanging in there.JPG

This is the biggest bee I have ever seen hanging on a milkweed blossom. This is my chance to support the bees, monarch butterflies, and also the Milkweed. The b... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow marciaborell

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This is the biggest bee I have ever seen hanging on a milkweed blossom. This is my chance to support the bees, monarch butterflies, and also the Milkweed. The b...
Read more

Share photos. Enter contests to win great prizes.
Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.