How to Photograph a Tree in Bloom with Bees all Over it???

I have a blooming tree with Honey Bees all over it.
Would it bee wise to get up very close with my 60mm lens or should I stand back and use my 400mm zoom lens:confused:

THANKS

I would either...

1. Use the 400mm.
2. Find a neighbor you don't like and send them in.

Doug

Having been stung several hundred times by a hive of angry yellow jackets, this is one photo opportunity I would pass up. In the alternative I would use my 600mm + the 2x converter..

Rocky why does that not surprise me?
You are a sting magnet.
James

Is sting magnet a subspecies of accident prone? I was really lucky my brother was home to take me to the hospital (and kill the bees that followed me inside)..

If they are honey bees you shouldn't have anything to worry about. They have nothing to protect unless the hive is in the tree. Move slowly and do not swat or kill a bee.

Just bee careful :) ....... might go for a different tree !!!

Ah, to bee or not to bee, that is the question.

I say you go in with the macro lens, BUT has a friend stand back with your 400mm..
Then post the photos from the 400mm of you and the bees if anything comical happens.

There was no threat at about 4-5'. I shot this with a D300 70-200 1.7X ISO800 F/4.8 1/800. I have seen many killer macro Bumble Bee shots on this forum. Now those boys can pack a whollop! Killer Bee's are a whole different issue. Stay way away and call authorities.

Unless you are allergic to bee stings, I think it would be perfectly safe to shoot with the 60mm. I have photographed bees from just a few inches away many times with no problem. Yellow jackets, though, are a different story altogether! I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them!

If you're not comfortable going close with the 60mm (and it does require close!), what about the 400mm with some accessories for reducing the minimum focusing distance. Examples. Canon 500D close-up lens, Extension tubes, or 1.4x extender. All of these accessories need to be used on tripod for best results. How about on a tripod with a 20' cable release?:D

I wish I had all of those gadgets.:(