Sony A77II
Sony 70-400G @ 230mm, 12mm XT
ISO 800, 1/5000 @ f8
This was a challenging capture but a lot of fun. This particular flower is about seven or eight feet above the ground so I needed a ladder to get above it. I have a RRS TVC-34L tripod with a center column and at maximum extension I can get the bottom of the tripod collar about eight feet off the ground. The neighbors have given up on my sanity a long time ago so they’re never surprised at what I’ll do for a shot. I also put about 100 images in the recycle bin because of bad poses and motion blur on the bees despite the 1/5000 SS. Another thing I found fascinating as I watched the bees working over the seed pod was that they would often pry a seed loose and then they would go over and work over the base of the seed. I suppose there is pollen there. All comments welcome.>=))>
A great shot, Bill, and well worth all the effort you put into it. Great detail in the flower and the bees, and I love the lighting on it.
Excellent image, Bill. I like the angle you managed to achieve and the bees are very well positioned. There might be nectar at the base of the flower in addition to the pollen at the tips.
Excellent range of color here with superb light. Well composed. Superb detail. Absolutely needs to be seen large.
You got a lot of depth on this at f/8. Really excellent detail and stop action, good color and control of the whites.