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Nancy Bell
08-14-2013, 01:01 PM
I found a wonderful patch of thistle that was attracting lots of bees. As most of the blooms were above my head, I concentrated on some lower ones that the bees seemed to visit often. I set up my tripod and waited, enjoying the beautiful morning. What caught my attention when I saw this image on my computer was all the pollen on the bee. It looks like the bee has rolled in sugar! I spent 2 mornings at this patch and on the 3 morning I discovered that someone chopped down every single thistle stem! I suspect the neighborhood weed wackers found my secret patch :Whoa!:.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon100 f2.8 macro, 1/500, f8, ISO 800

C & C most appreciated.

Mitch Haimov
08-14-2013, 02:27 PM
Very cool, Nancy! The purple pollen adds a lot of interest to the bee, and her eye is clear and sharp. This one tells a story. Comp works well; you could also trim a little from the left to get her further from center.

Jonathan Ashton
08-15-2013, 03:42 AM
I like the shot Nancy well exposed and focused with very good detail and a very good non distracting background.
I think I can see why you composed as you did - roughly the rule of thirds. As I said I like the image as is, but as I look I begin to wonder of it would tell more of a story if you went in tighter or conversely a little wider to include the whole of the thistle head??
Just a thought, I suppose to some extent it depends upon the relative size between the insect and the flower heads - both can vary quite considerably.

Steve Maxson
08-16-2013, 03:36 PM
Hi Nancy. I don't think I've ever seen a bumble bee covered with this much pollen! These bees are challenging because they usually seem to have their heads buried in the flower upon which they are feeding - you did well to get a clear shot of the head and eye. Good sharpness within your DOF and I also like the comp, colors, and background. Very nicely done!

Nancy Bell
08-16-2013, 10:18 PM
Thank you, Mitch, Jonathan and Steve. I played around with the crop and finally had to choose something, so the rule of thirds won. To show the entire bloom does make the bee too small, but tighter could be a good option as well as shaving a bit from the left. I could also try a vertical.

Mitch Carucci
08-18-2013, 05:43 AM
Nice one. We also have thistle, and I spent an inordinate time trying to catch a bee in the right attitude. I only had either their rears, or they were so buried in the flower that the pic was worthless. Didn't see any with this much pollen though.

Anita Bower
08-18-2013, 07:32 AM
Good job, Nancy! The entire bee is showing. I love all the pollen stuck to its body. I like the composition a lot. Nice, blurred bg. Everything works in this photo. Excellent work. We have thistle in our meadow which is source of conflict for us. I love them for photographing and for the bees. But, most of them are invasives and need to be cut down. We try to wait and cut them down just before they go to seed.

Allen Sparks
08-18-2013, 11:24 PM
Hi Nancy, I like the composition you chose. Also like being able to see the bee's eye clearly even with all that pollen. A fine image. -- Allen