Bee photos - suggestions needed

[jedirunner]

So I popped on the cheap canon 50mm macro lens and went outside to get some bee shots. Some of these turned out ok for my experience level at this.

Here's where some help is needed:
But I had to crop far more than I would have liked on these. To get an actually frame-filling bee photo, given that bees hop around flower-to-flower so quickly, I'm finding it hard to get very close with the short lens given a slight fear of getting stung, and how much I have to move the camera to re-position so often.

How would you go about getting better (closer) shots? Would you get a longer macro lens? extension tubes on a "normal" lens? or what other approaches do you take? Or are you the patient type that puts the camera on a tripod, aimed at a certain angle on a certain flower, and wait and watch for a bee to land at just that one spot?

Anyway, here's what I got:

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C&C, comments, suggestions, all appreciated.

Kevin

 

[tirediron]

A longer lens, ideally a 105mm or better yet 180mm macro is the way to go fro this

 

[jedirunner]

A longer lens, ideally a 105mm or better yet 180mm macro is the way to go fro this

Thanks for the suggestion. Now to fund the new lens.

I got lucky with this one, shooting straight down into the plant - using my 140-600 mm EFL zoom lens (probably using the longer end). This lens isn't macro/micro, but has a respectable close focusing distance of 47 inches and that was probably about how far away I was from the bee. This is cropped as well, as much because it is so difficult to track and nail a bee flittering from one flower to another, and so I shot looser and just went for focus. Much of the image quality comes from this being controlled lighting under the overhang of my large porch.

To be truthful - it was such a challenge getting a bee into the frame - and successive tries on other days have never been as good - - - that I doubt I will try again. You're shots are decently close though and you have captured detail. All the best.

​

That's a nice shot. I really like the colors and textures there!

Kevin

 

[sm4him]

I'm too tired to think much tonight, but one thing that comes to mind is that you can try shooting bees (and other insects) early in the morning, as soon as it's light enough to find them. Insects tend to be "sluggish" in the early morning hours until the sun comes up and dries the morning dew off of them. It's a great time to get some shots without them moving quite so fast.

 

[cgipson1]

I'm too tired to think much tonight, but one thing that comes to mind is that you can try shooting bees (and other insects) early in the morning, as soon as it's light enough to find them. Insects tend to be "sluggish" in the early morning hours until the sun comes up and dries the morning dew off of them. It's a great time to get some shots without them moving quite so fast.

You can also capture them, and throw them in the fridge for 10 minutes or so. I don't care for that... but some photographers do it!

I have some amazingly similar shots I took today... but I took them with flash. I will post them so you can see the difference flash makes...

 

[jedirunner]

I'm too tired to think much tonight, but one thing that comes to mind is that you can try shooting bees (and other insects) early in the morning, as soon as it's light enough to find them. Insects tend to be "sluggish" in the early morning hours until the sun comes up and dries the morning dew off of them. It's a great time to get some shots without them moving quite so fast.

You can also capture them, and throw them in the fridge for 10 minutes or so. I don't care for that... but some photographers do it!

I have some amazingly similar shots I took today... but I took them with flash. I will post them so you can see the difference flash makes...

View attachment 48247

Good call! I didn't even think to use flash on the bee. I'm gonna have to try that (hopefully get some time tomorrow).

Thanks!

Kevin