The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
The other day I noticed a bee preparing to roost for the night on a black eyed susan in the yard. I love it when they do this and so I took the opportunity to photograph her. She’s about 1/2 an inch long and is an Orange-belted bumblebee, a species I see often. If she’d picked a flower slightly to the left, she’d have been more protected by the rain we had overnight, but she didn’t so ended up pretty wet. It was cool and overcast the next day, so I breathed on her a bit to warm her up and she moved around and fed for a while.
Hoping that more warmth would get her to fly once she dried off, I put her on my hand for a bit and she perked up. So much so that she became agitated and fearful, putting her middle legs up in a defensive posture. Feeling bad, I moved her to a more sheltered flower and visited her during the day to photograph and film her. She fed on nectar periodically the whole time, but didn’t fly. So she spent another night on the flower. By this time I was a little worried that it was her time to die even though I know only some live longer than a few weeks and none over winter at all. Bumblebee colonies only produce queens for over wintering and all workers and drones die in the fall. I’ve found and photographed dead bees on flowers in the autumn so it isn’t a new thing for me, but always makes me sad.
Sorry so long, but I felt a connection with this little one and was surprised to find an empty flower the next morning. A little examination proved she was under the petals and, relieved, I moved her to a clover blossom in the sun. She perked up and clung onto it and when I checked her later she was gone. Back to her family.
Specific Feedback
I used a different light source for each photo taken about a day apart. Could I have done better in the field? How about processing?
Technical Details
Tripod for the first, handheld for the second - LED panel for first, flash for second.
No. 1
No. 2
Lr for all processing and slight crops. She was chilly and calm so I could get very close to her for short periods so not to upset her. Did a lot of work for color balance and smoothing tonalities. Some clarity, texture & sharpening. Masking to put adjustments right where needed.
Amazing story and wonderful pictures! I had no idea a bumblebee wouldn’t return to its nest at night-- unless, as you say, it would be dying. In fact, I have no idea what sort of nest they have. (Off to look that up…)
The pictures are stunning for their clarity and intimacy. The yellows are perfect – not an easy color to tame – and the BGs soft and lovely. In the first one, I wonder if the bee and flower center could be just a bit brighter – although it’s a story of camouflage.
Thanks @Diane_Miller - bumblebees nest underground and take over burrows already dug by chipmunks or other creatures if possible. The queen lays her eggs and provisions the larvae cells with food before sealing them over. When they hatch they are almost all female and immediately begin gathering food for themselves, the queen and the eggs the queen lays. Eventually a few males hatch as well and will mate with one of the daughters that is fed and nurtured to make her a fertile female (queen) or one from another colony. I don’t believe the original queen over winters again, but she may since I don’t think the new queen uses the same nest. I really should look this stuff up, too. They fascinate me and I love them.
Anyway…here’s a look at her on the second morning. It’s a rough 2-shot stack with the LED light and a tripod.
Kris, they are beautiful shots of this little bee. You are braver than I am. I don’t handle bees, especially Bumble Bees. I have been stung before and it isn’t fun. So far I haven’t been stung just photographing them, but that is my limit. So glad that she was okay and did fly away eventually. Maybe she figured you had enough photos of her.
Thanks @Shirley_Freeman - while I’m not cavalier with any stinging insect, I find that bumbles are the most approachable. They don’t mind me looking at them closely while they are bussing flowers (oh how I wish that word was still commonly used, but it seems to fit). Sometimes I pat them and they’re fine with it so long as they are busy. Other bees never seem to rest as much as bumblebees do either. Many times I see them just settin’ a spell on a flower, catching their breaths so to speak. Luckily I’ve never been stung although I have had a couple of close encounters with a bumblebee nest and a bald-faced hornet nest. Yikes.
I threw together a rough cut of the video I have of her as well. She doesn’t do much more than eat and preen a little, but it was fun to watch her up so close.
The lateral shot is very nice with excellent color and detail. I like the radial features of the petals on the black-eyed Susan flower. Overall, very nice and a well crafted set of images…Jim
Hey thanks @Mike_Friel - I’m glad you thought the music worked. Sometimes that’s the hardest thing to pick, but that one struck me as right so I didn’t listen to a dozen tracks before deciding this time!
Yes, I shot the vid with the same rig. 4K 60p 10bit and then finished in standard 1920x1080. Tripod for most of it. Believe it or not, auto focus with focus peaking which only engages for your first set point and disappears while filming so I watch and adjust as needed. I sped most of the clips to between 1.25 and 2x normal. Did a little exposure & color correction and some stabilization on the handheld bits. Set a few pans and zooms and the usual audio leveling and ducking under the music for the narration (yours truly). Nothing super fancy although I have to learn some basic animation for one in the works. It’s a whole new world.
Oh and thanks @Jim_Zablotny - she was pretty calm while on the flower and would sit still for long periods allowing me to get very close and set up the tripod well for lots to be in focus. I hope she went back to her colony and had a good story to tell.
