Thistle-bee

[Kerry Perkins]

Found this busy fellow at a local national recreational area (Satwiwa). I don't own a macro lens so this is not as sharp as it could be, but I liked the colors and the pollen. :cool: I was out shooting birds when I saw this opportunity. I used Nik Color Efex Pro "darken/lighten center" to bring out the central elements and apply a slight vignette.

7D, EF400mm f/5.6L
Manual mode, f/5.6@1/1250 ISO 400 WB 5100K
AI Servo autofocus, hand-held no flash

[Allen Sparks]

Hi Kerry. Nice colors and I do like the bee. I would do even more vignetting to cut way down on the brightness of the other stuff in the background. Trying to isolate the flower and bee more from a brightness standpoint I think would help this shot a lot.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Kerry,
I think Allen makes some exceellent points on the outside edges and while this may not be my favorite angle......trying to wait for a better wing position or even tighter w/ a tube are all options to keep in mind for in the field. The tweaks Allen recommends will take this up a notch.

[Kerry Perkins]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the feedback. I have a lot to learn about this type of shooting!