The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic + Technical
About This Image
This flower, Barnada japonica (a hyacinth relative), appears in late August in undisturbed areas of wild grass in Korea. It is a magnet for insects and has stems up to a foot long, so this helps the photographer. However, I usually end up with a messy BG. A favorite visitor is the Fiery-tailed Bumble Bee (Bomba ignita), which in this case circled around and nectared on a small group of flowers several times. I decided to try adding a colored card to solve the BG problem. Of course, my holding this card behind the subjects usually scared off the bee. But I finally got this shot which I thought showed off both insect and flower quite well.
Feedback Requested
I wasn’t looking for pin-sharpness. I wanted a dreamy feel to the shot - does this come over here?
Mission accomplished! It’s a great image with a definitely dreamy look. Nice work pulling everything together that went into creating this image. I have never thought of a card for a background. How big is it?
The bee looks thoroughly pleased with itself, lit up like it’s wearing its Sunday best, while your colour card has quietly rescued you from the usual jungle of Korean scrub behind it. That’s proper ingenuity, waving cardboard about and getting away with it.
The dream you were chasing mostly arrives, cool lavender against that blazing orange tail doing all the heavy lifting without shouting about it. Sharpness is nicely judged on the face and front florets, though those leading legs dissolve a touch early, as if the bee had already mentally clocked off before the shutter did.
A whisper more space to the right and this would be close to note perfect.
I’d say you picked the perfect background card for the image, Mike. It fully complements the colors in the flower and bee. I thought the bee looked pretty darn sharp. And the flower is quite attractive as well. Good job.
Mike the bee sure stands out amidst all of the soft dreamy color both in the flower and in the background. BTW, this would be a great, dreamy shot without the bee.
How completely wonderful!! The bumblebee is handsome and the flower a gorgeous complement. And the BG is just right, both for the amount of detail and the colors!
The idea of an artificial BG is commonly accepted with flash shots of hummingbirds, but to be able to hand-hold one in the field with a free-ranging subject, while your other two hands are managing the camera, is amazing!! You get double points!
Hmmm Holding the card and holding the camera??? Mike, are you a three armed freak? However you managed this the end result is sublime and I think you hit your intended mark right on the nose. Many kudos for concept and execution. >=))>
Your use of the card for the BG worked perfectly. The bee is mostly in focus and a more lateral shot of the bee was your only solution without losing the focus on the plant. And who knows what the bee was going to do and they certainly do not know how to pose on command . I also like the wings of the bee which are nicely angled to the viewer. You may want to revisit this type of flower with your card for a nice botanical habitus shot. I never reduce clarity and certainly like the dreamy atmosphere of the shot with it being reduced. Awesome…Jim
Congratulations on a lovely composition, love the soft feel and the sharp focus, angle of the bee and limited colour palette.
Many in our club use cards via a tripod and clamp - and when they work the BG is usually lovely and soft
Thanks @Allen_Brooks@Bill_Fach@Paul_Holdorf@Mark_Seaver@Diane_Miller@Huw_Thomas@sebastien-maloron@Jim_Zablotny for your comments. The camera and 60mm are very light, so I can operate the shutter and focus button and hold the camera all with one hand (no, I don’t have 3!). But it’s a hit and miss for moving subjects - I much prefer not having to use a card. Jim, the flowers are past their prime now, so I won’t go back; but here’s another shot to show the habitat. I think you’ll agree it’s not very flattering. (The bee often weighs the stem down to a horizontal position):
This is gorgeous, Mike. Your use of the false background worked very well and it fits with the color of the flower perfectly. The only time I’ve managed something similar is very early morning when the bee spent the night on a flower.
You just gave me another idea – as an alternative to an opaque BG, maybe sometimes a very lightly frosted piece of plexiglas would work – in the case of a very bight and garish BG that is very close.
Mike, this is a stellar image. The colors are outstanding. The bokeh using the card is beautiful. This is like a painting to me. I have no suggestions. Its a great shot. AI is jealous. LOL.
Jim_Zablotny
(Jim Zablotny)
selected this as an Editor's Pick
17
This image is special because the photographer used some studio and post processing techniques to elevate the artistic feel of this image. The use of a complementary artificial BG and adjusting clarity downward produced a dreamy, delicately colored photograph. Nature photographers must be flexible and be willing to modify technique for the most artistic presentation. And this one does just that!
Holding the card and holding the camera??? Mike, are you a three armed freak? However you managed this the end result is sublime and I think you hit your intended mark right on the nose. Many kudos for concept and execution. 
. I also like the wings of the bee which are nicely angled to the viewer. You may want to revisit this type of flower with your card for a nice botanical habitus shot. I never reduce clarity and certainly like the dreamy atmosphere of the shot with it being reduced. Awesome…Jim