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To Bee or not to Bee


To Bee or not to Bee
Photo Information
Copyright: Helmut Samerski (spiker26) Silver Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 11 W: 4 N: 49] (290)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-03-08
Categories: Macro
Camera: Nikon D300, Nikon 105mm Macro
Exposure: f/6.3, 1/800 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2008-08-28 15:09
Viewed: 475
Points: 26
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Bees and butterflies have been beaten to a visual death a long time ago yet there still can be moments of magic.
I have a particular unassuming flower in my garden which attracts a prolific number of visitors when in bloom. Butterflies, flies, bees, ants and all sorts of honey ‘suckers’ come then to have a chow. The visitor numbers are up on a warm sunny day which makes for good shooting conditions..
I do spray some honey dissolved in warm water over the blossoms using an empty but cleaned spray bottle. Adding fuel makes the critters stay longer, and you do need “stay longer” a lot. After all, they do come here to refuel.
My object was to shoot a bee in flight. There a two ways of doing this. One way is to look through your view finder, point it at a flying bee, frame, focus and hit the button. (Not recommended). The second much more effective way is to know where and when the bee is likely going to be and anticipate it. So the tripod mounted camera was focused on an imaginary point in which the approaching bee would be in focus. I wanted part of the blossom in the picture (and in focus) and any approaching bee just ready with the ‘landing gear’ out.
Camera setting on manual is essential; there is no time for the AF to operate, even on the fastest lens. The camera release mode was set on CH, Nikon speak for “rapid fire mode “- 6fps. You want all the shutter speed you can get and more. So I cranked the ISO up to 400 which allows me to crop later without loosing to much image quality. The closer you frame it the less cropping you need but you need a very fast trigger finger. “you feel the need for speed”. With 1/800sec my aperture was f: 6.3, as calculated by the camera. It meant that the flight-path of the bee was pretty narrow. So you need a fast trigger finger because the bees usually “doesn’t hang around very much” when in the approach path. They just slam bam, thank you ma’m onto the dinner table. The shallow DOF had the advantage to throw my background out, which was 3m away so there was no problem in isolating the scene. If that is a problem, set up a appropriately coloured card-box sheet. Picture quality was set to jpg fine/large as opposed to RAW, because at 6 picture per second in RAW to which I usually piggyback a jpg-basic , the buffer fills up too quickly and you might miss out on a good “in focus” shot if the camera waits for the buffer to download.
It is essential to look through the view finder to see an approaching bee and hit the trigger when ever a bee flies into the “airspace” and hope for the best. Trigger via remote cable, no need for mirror lookup at 800 or better, all you need is a good reaction time, so don’t bring the glass with red or bottle with amber fluid until later that day. Sitting there with the sun burning on your back (you shoot with the sun, not into it) for two hours with one ‘eye wide shut’ is straining, consider tapeing one eye closed is a good idea, cottonwool behind one lens will also do the trick. I use a rectangle eye piece to make sure that I don’t need to see the local Chiropracticer the next day, returning my contorted spine back into the homo-erectus default position.
The very moment you see the bee entering you viewfinder, hit the button and let the camera ‘do it’s thing’. You might hear 10-12 pictures rattle off before the buffer is full-stop, be ready for the next bee. Of course there is no telling when the bee was in the focus area. That had to be determined later on the computer screen. Thank God or the engineers for digital cameras!
I took about 750 pictures over a two hour period and deleted about 650. I post one of many here. Hope this will give you some pointer and encourages you to be inventive..
MarcLabbe, Beger, misslw, kross1, Kilted-Arab, ScottHale, mortcdz, GreenBaron, tjutjut, lilimih33 has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To kross1: to bee or not to beespiker26 1 08-28 21:19
To Beger: to bee or not to beespiker26 1 08-28 20:20
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Critiques [Translate]

Good setting, superb patience, nice idea = WOW!!

TFs


Marc

  • Great 
  • Beger Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3307 W: 788 N: 4423] (19902)
  • [2008-08-28 16:20]
  • [+]

Hi Helmut,
Two smileys for this top quality photo!Two others for the title! And two again for the note!
I amazed by the clarity and the light of this macro!
My compliments! Annie

  • Great 
  • bigil Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 266 W: 37 N: 56] (2107)
  • [2008-08-28 17:11]

Hello Helmut, quelle chance de capter l'insecte au vol. Bon détails, belles couleurs et bon contraste.
Bravo
Gilles

quie linda imagen y que perfecta !

Wow - what a picture (and wow - what a note).
I have been trying for good bee shots all summer - I've managed 2 - and they are certainly not in flight. Great work & I appreciated reading your note with so many hints & details!
Great work!

Helmut, that's one of the best notes I've ever seen on any of the TL sites and I hope it gets read by a lot of members. The image itself isn't bad either ;-)

To catch a bee in flight like that is pretty impressive. I could harp on about colours, sharpness and all that stuff - but quite simply it is a good shot with a great note. TL needs more of this.

Hi,
wonderful scene in the nature, I like such photos
compliments
Ryszard

Great idea to show the butterfly and bee in one shot, and such clarity in the bee is outstanding. Superb note as well - I'll be taking some of the tips you've provided and trying them out myself.
Thanks for sharing (and for inspiration)
Mark

Hi Helmut,

Thank you for the note that really enhancing my knowledge . . and very practical explanation . .
Great show to capture flying bee . . it's not easy shot . .

Tfs,
Tjutjut

I love this shot. I think it's hard enough to capture just one of these insects in a picture and you have both. I like the timing of the shot (the bee in flight). Nice details in the flower, butterfly and bee. The blurred BG looks nice in this shot. Well done.
Regards,
Kevin

Later

Hi dear friend,
:))) great title for it!
Excellent timing for the shot.
A lovely compo from all points of view.
Nice gradual tones of green in the background.
Have a lovely Sunday.
Ioana

Hello Helmut!
Very very nice composition!
Lovely shot of the bee!!!
Great colours, good light!
Best regards!
Lili

  • Great 
  • trekks Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2016 W: 144 N: 3393] (13597)
  • [2008-09-01 19:28]

hello Helmut

Very well frozen action on the bee in flight from your 1/800 shutter and such nice sharpness and great colors of the butterfly and flower too.

A find capture of macro. tfs

bill

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