Nature Photographers Network
This is the preserved archive of the original Nature Photographers Network. The community continues at naturephotographers.network.
Bees
‹ PreviousMan & Fauna GalleryNext ›

Bees

by John Tobias

Gallery: Man & FaunaPosted May 13, 2016157 views2 comments
Was at the Sugar Grove Nature Center to photograph flowers when I was asked to get  photos of their bees.  The hive was behind thick bushes and in shadows, which required the use of flash.  The bees showed no aggression towards me, but the buzzing around my head was a bit distracting.  The hive was so active I found it challenging to focus on any one bee.  Will try again.

Canon T6i
1/250 @ F-6.3 ISO 200
Sigma 18-300mm OS @ 300mm
external flash

Comments

2 comments
Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on May 13, 2016 at 6:53 PM
Hi John,

When a nectar flow is on, honey bees can be very approachable. I would wear a bee veil, even when bees are mellow.  That will take the edge off and you can concentrate on coming in closer. Also, wear light colored clothing.  Crank the ISO up to around 800 to get a faster exposure time than 1/250 sec..  Focus on a group of bees that are parallel to the plane of your lens and fire away.   You have a nice composition, most of the bees are soft due to motion.  I do like the colors and can't wait to see your future endeavors with this very cooperative group of bees.........................Jim
Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments
Comment posted by Ed Williams on June 20, 2016 at 3:53 PM
This is a really interesting shot John with good clarity of most of the bees. Jim, thanks for the suggestions for how to do a shot like this.
Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments