alexhalpin

Lavender Bee

This picture is from my trip to the Huntington Gardens. I got this one early in the day.

This picture is from my trip to the Huntington Gardens. I got this one early in the day.
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NIKON D300

settings

Aperture 28/5 ISO 250 Shutter 1/320 Focal Length 200/1

location

Pasadena, California, US

upload_date

Sep, 2022

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109

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Behind The Lens

Location

I took this in the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, California while on a trip with an old friend.

Time

This is one of my favorite pictures. I remember walking into the garden and seeing a few huge lavender bushes teeming with bees. It took a few tries, but I managed to capture a still bee in focus. This photo was taken at 11:54 A.M. on October 30, 2021.

Lighting

For this picture, I used all natural light. The upper parts of the bush filtered the sunlight, creating a dappled effect on my picture. I underexposed the image by a third of a stop so that It would not be blown out, and I would not sacrifice my narrow depth of field.

Equipment

This picture was taken on a Nikon D300 with an 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 lens. For this particular shot, I zoomed in all the way. I did not use a tripod because I was planning to walk around the garden all day, and I didn't want to cary it around. I opted not to use my camera's built-in flash because there was already an abundance of natural light.

Inspiration

When I saw all the bees crowding this clump of bushes, I knew I could get a great shot. Including a small animal or insect in a close up shot of nature can make the picture come alive. The lavender was beautiful enough on its own, but focusing on a bee could elevate it to a whole other level. When I saw the branches of the bush going in all directions, I knew I had to play with depth of field. The idea of this shot was very spontaneous. I was not planning on it ahead of time.

Editing

I only did minor post-processing on this image. I lowered the highlights so that parts of the picture in direct sunlight were not too blown out. I lowered the blacks to make the inner parts of the bush disappear, and the bee look more dramatic. This is what I usually do on most of my images. Sometimes, I do some cropping if I think it would benefit the composition

In my camera bag

In my camera bag, I usually carry a Nikon D7200 body (I upgraded from the D300 a few months after this picture was taken), an 18-200mm f3.5-f5.6, and a 50mm f1.4 prime lens. I love the 18-200mm lens because it is very versatile. I often go on hikes with my camera where I don't want to carry my bag. The 18-200mm lens is great for this because it is light enough to comfortably have it on my neck for a few hours, and its versatility lets me take a wide variety of shots on the go. I carry the 50mm lens because it is very small and can come in handy if I want a very wide aperture. Sometimes, I also carry a 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 if I anticipate wanting a very wide focal length. My best pictures with this lens have been on sunny days at the beach. I also have an 80-200mm fixed f2.8. It is very bulky, and really only practical to use it with a tripod. I only bring this lens with me if I know I will not be moving very much. This is the case with astrophotography or bird photography from a stationary point. I use a SLIK PRO 804 CF Carbon Fiber tripod with a Sirui head. It is very light for a tripod, but does not compromise sturdiness. The head is great because It allows for easy adjustments on all axes. I usually only carry a tripod if I know I will not be doing a lot of walking, or if I specifically want to use longer exposures. I also have a Velbron monopod. I use this if I want a compromise between stability and portability. I do not use a monopod very much because I still find it cumbersome. I find that my hands are stable enough for most shots that don't require a tripod. In addition to this, I have a couple of external flashes. I only use them for portrait photography because I find their light to be harsh and one-directional. I prefer to use natural light.

Feedback

Someone trying to capture something similar to what I did should think about good location near them that have a lot of bees. Lavender works very well. On a warm, sunny day there are bound to be tons of bees on the bush. Plan on using a long lens so you can get a shallow depth of field like I did. You will probably not need an exceptionally huge aperture because bees are usually only out when it is sunny. If you live in a cold place, wait for it to get warm, or travel somewhere warm. The most important part is patience. An image like mine did not come on the first try. There were many attempts that you do not see. If you are patient enough to find the perfect bee, you can get an amazing shot too.

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alexhalpin

alexhalpin

Lavender Bee

This picture is from my trip to the Huntington Gardens. I got this one early in the day.

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow alexhalpin

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