Bumble bee sp.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Hand held Canon 1DX Canon 100-400L 11 Auto ISO 1600 +1.1, 1/1000 sec f8. I am not entirely sure of the species but I think it is Early bumblebee Bombus pratorum, if anyone knows differently I would appreciate your letting me know. The flower is borage, the image was taken in the back garden.
I am constantly trying to refine my technique for these in flight shots. I have tried AF using shutter and rear button focus with varying degrees of success. Currently I am using manual focus, focusing on the bee or flower and trying to anticipate the direction it will fly to the next flower, by doing this I can estimate where to focus to catch the bee in flight. I am avoiding flash whenever I can in order to minimise reflections on the wings.
All C&C welcome

[shane shacaluga]

Very nicely done! A lot of patience has gone into this image! Great composition and BG. Bumblebee is well in focus and nicely exposed.

I would crop a slice off the top

TFS

[Jerry van Dijk]

Very nice Jonathan. I like the two opposing flowers, that make a nice compositional element. I would be inclined to crop from the top to reduce the empty space. Your species ID seems correct to me.

[David Cowling]

Nice one Jonathan. I tried the same technique with Hoverflies last summer, I can only use manual focus with the macro lens I have. Anticipation is the thing but I have a lot more failures than successes! Nice and sharp where it counts and the bee nicely balanced by the R/H flower and the insect stands out well from the background. Another vote for a little off the top.

[Allen Sparks]

Hi Jonathan,
Wonderfully focused bee and I like the composition as well. Very nice image.

Allen

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I chose this crop because it equates to a potential print and I was anxious to gauge your opinions as presented.

[Ron Conlon]

Bees love borage! Brings back fond memories. Perhaps a little off the top...

[Diane Miller]

I love the sharp detail in the bee and borage, offset by the OOF FG. Lovely composition. I'd be tempted to compare taking a little off the top and sides, which could preserve the aspect ratio.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Thanks again I will see if I can make a tighter crop but I think I am on the edge.

[MiroslavMaric]

Great shot and timing. Like the colors and details. Agree with the crop at the top.....

Cheers,
Miro

[Mike Hitchen]

A very nice image and I think just enough blur in the wing. You obviously planned it well with the position of the main two flowers.