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Hey, My Turn!

Gallery: Macro & Close-upPosted September 20, 2016241 views5 comments

I've done very little (actually, none) flower and insect shooting all summer. However, I went to the local gardens the other day for the first time since spring to shoot. There were a couple of monarchs and about 1000 bees in the dahlia beds. I actually lowered my iso to just shoot this dahlia when the monarch landed. I liked the background produced by the shallower dof, but I wish that I was using a higher iso with a faster ss and maybe a bit more dof for this shot so as to get the bee's wings a bit more stopped and the BF's wings a bit more in focus. However, this ended up the best shot of a BF and bee in flight in the same shot. Suggestions and other comments welcome. D600, 150 macro, iso 400, f5.6, 1/500. crying

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Krunal Janani on September 21, 2016 at 12:52 AM

It's a nice image Scott, yes the if the bee had been in total sharp focus it wud have been even better
my other small nit wud be to burn a bit of the subject as the harsh light is a bit too much for my taste :)

P.S. was there any change of putting an diffuser?

Registered on September 16, 2010, 60 Posts, 1370 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on September 21, 2016 at 6:42 AM

Krunal, thank you for the comment.This was shot in natural light (no flash). Yes, the morning light was pretty strong. I could have used a hand held diffuser on the flower but this is not practical for shooting skittish butterflies and bees in flight, IMO.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on September 21, 2016 at 5:20 PM

Ahhh, the "joys" of competition. In spite of your self critique, Scott, this view makes a strong statement as presented, with lovely colors in the flower and Monarch and the added benefit of the bee checking out the scene.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on September 25, 2016 at 9:11 AM

Hi Scott,

A diffuser would have scared off your subjects for sure. A short burst from a flash may have helped slightly, but I believe that your timing worked out quite well.......................Jim

Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on September 25, 2016 at 6:30 PM

You covered the issues very well in your description, Scott. A beautiful image regardless of those minor issues. I think you'd have to really get the shutter speed up to stop the bee's wings. An excellent composition.

devil

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments