beez's in flight
327 posts
Link
Posted 22/05/2022 - 13:33
Last one is fabulous. What plant is it?
K3ii, K-5, K-x, DA150-450mm, DA16-85WR, DA16-45, DA18-55WR, DA18-135WR, DA35 F2.4, M100mm F4 Macro, DA55-300mm, FA50mm 1.4, AF360 Flash, AF540 Flash
K3ii, K-5, K-x, DA150-450mm, DA16-85WR, DA16-45, DA18-55WR, DA18-135WR, DA35 F2.4, M100mm F4 Macro, DA55-300mm, FA50mm 1.4, AF360 Flash, AF540 Flash
Link
Posted 22/05/2022 - 13:55
It's a Ceanothus, grows to about 2m high and 1.5m deep, flowers early to mid May and is a bee magnet.
Chris
www.chrismillsphotography.co.uk
" A Hangover is something that occupies the Head you neglected to use the night before".
-------------------------------------------------------------
K1 - Sigma 85mm F1.4, Pentax DFA 150 -450 F4.5 / 5.6, Pentax DFA* 24 - 70 F2.8
Samyang 14mm F2.8, Pentax DFA* 70-200 F2.8
K3iii + K3ii + K5iis converted to IR, Sigma 17 - 70 F2.8, Pentax 55 - 300 F4.5 / F5.6 PLM
Chris
www.chrismillsphotography.co.uk
" A Hangover is something that occupies the Head you neglected to use the night before".
-------------------------------------------------------------
K1 - Sigma 85mm F1.4, Pentax DFA 150 -450 F4.5 / 5.6, Pentax DFA* 24 - 70 F2.8
Samyang 14mm F2.8, Pentax DFA* 70-200 F2.8
K3iii + K3ii + K5iis converted to IR, Sigma 17 - 70 F2.8, Pentax 55 - 300 F4.5 / F5.6 PLM
Link
Posted 23/05/2022 - 07:16
Good work, the last one is my pick
C&C welcome.
Don.
C&C welcome.
Don.
Link
Posted 23/05/2022 - 09:40
All good - but Yes, that last one takes the prize - Nice Shooting Chris 
LennyBloke
LennyBloke
Link
Posted 23/05/2022 - 14:23
I think you can count all the hairs on the bees they're that sharp!
Lovely stuff
Gareth
Welsh Photographer
My outfit: K1 gripped - K3ii - two Z-1P - Pentax D FA 24-70mm - Sigma 70-200mm OS HSM - Pentax modified DA* 60-250mm f4 - Irix 15mm Firefly - Pentax FA 35mm - FA 50mm - Sigma EX 20mm - FA 28-70mm f4 - Tamron SP 90mm macro - Pentax AF 540 FGZ II
My Flickr
My PPG
Foundation NFT
Lovely stuff
Gareth
Welsh Photographer
My outfit: K1 gripped - K3ii - two Z-1P - Pentax D FA 24-70mm - Sigma 70-200mm OS HSM - Pentax modified DA* 60-250mm f4 - Irix 15mm Firefly - Pentax FA 35mm - FA 50mm - Sigma EX 20mm - FA 28-70mm f4 - Tamron SP 90mm macro - Pentax AF 540 FGZ II
My Flickr
My PPG
Foundation NFT
Link
Posted 23/05/2022 - 18:59
An impressive set. Ceanothus does not flourish in our garden but when I have been trying to get a decent shot of a bee landing, I have never succeeded. If I see one land on a flower, I have tried setting up camera on tripod focussed on that flower, but dammit the next bee avoids that flower and goes to another one. Can bees sense when a flower has been 'harvested' and not bother going to it?
A few of my photographs in flickr.
Lizars 1910 "Challenge" quarter-plate camera; and some more recent stuff.
A few of my photographs in flickr.
Lizars 1910 "Challenge" quarter-plate camera; and some more recent stuff.
Link
Posted 23/05/2022 - 21:10
Really like these 
. Agree with others - the last one stands out for me. But if the 3rd one were cropped to remove the in-focus flower heads sticking up from the bottom edge (which I find distracting), it would be up there with the last one.
Apparently yes. It's all to do with static electricity. A bee in flight picks up a charge from friction with the air. It can also detect an electric field. During a visit to a flower, the bee's static charge helps pollen stick to it. Some charge also transfers to the flower while the bee is doing its business. The next bee to come along senses the electric field from the charged flower. It recognises this as the signal for "don't bother to drop in because I've just been done" so it looks for another flower. The moral of this tale is if you're trying to photograph a bee, the last thing you should do is focus on a flower that has just been visited. No help in working out which flower you should focus on, though!
Steve
. Agree with others - the last one stands out for me. But if the 3rd one were cropped to remove the in-focus flower heads sticking up from the bottom edge (which I find distracting), it would be up there with the last one.OldTaffy wrote:
Can bees sense when a flower has been 'harvested' and not bother going to it?
Can bees sense when a flower has been 'harvested' and not bother going to it?
Apparently yes. It's all to do with static electricity. A bee in flight picks up a charge from friction with the air. It can also detect an electric field. During a visit to a flower, the bee's static charge helps pollen stick to it. Some charge also transfers to the flower while the bee is doing its business. The next bee to come along senses the electric field from the charged flower. It recognises this as the signal for "don't bother to drop in because I've just been done" so it looks for another flower. The moral of this tale is if you're trying to photograph a bee, the last thing you should do is focus on a flower that has just been visited. No help in working out which flower you should focus on, though!
Steve
Link
Posted 24/05/2022 - 07:13
OldTaffy wrote:
An impressive set. I have tried setting up camera on tripod focused on that flower
An impressive set. I have tried setting up camera on tripod focused on that flower
These were all handheld, gives the flexibility to follow the bee's, the ceanothus is covered in flowers at the mo, has been for 7 days and will probably only do another 7 - 10 days before they start to wilt.
Steve - thanks for the mention of the crop, amended version as below
Chris
www.chrismillsphotography.co.uk
" A Hangover is something that occupies the Head you neglected to use the night before".
-------------------------------------------------------------
K1 - Sigma 85mm F1.4, Pentax DFA 150 -450 F4.5 / 5.6, Pentax DFA* 24 - 70 F2.8
Samyang 14mm F2.8, Pentax DFA* 70-200 F2.8
K3iii + K3ii + K5iis converted to IR, Sigma 17 - 70 F2.8, Pentax 55 - 300 F4.5 / F5.6 PLM
Link
Posted 24/05/2022 - 17:50
Yes, that crop definitely works better to my eyes.
Steve
Steve
Link
Posted 24/05/2022 - 18:48
Lubbyman wrote:
Yes, that crop definitely works better to my eyes.
Steve
Yes, that crop definitely works better to my eyes.
Steve
Thanks Steve, you were right
Chris
www.chrismillsphotography.co.uk
" A Hangover is something that occupies the Head you neglected to use the night before".
-------------------------------------------------------------
K1 - Sigma 85mm F1.4, Pentax DFA 150 -450 F4.5 / 5.6, Pentax DFA* 24 - 70 F2.8
Samyang 14mm F2.8, Pentax DFA* 70-200 F2.8
K3iii + K3ii + K5iis converted to IR, Sigma 17 - 70 F2.8, Pentax 55 - 300 F4.5 / F5.6 PLM
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Chrism8
Plus Member
Gloucestershire
Chris
www.chrismillsphotography.co.uk
" A Hangover is something that occupies the Head you neglected to use the night before".
-------------------------------------------------------------
K1 - Sigma 85mm F1.4, Pentax DFA 150 -450 F4.5 / 5.6, Pentax DFA* 24 - 70 F2.8
Samyang 14mm F2.8, Pentax DFA* 70-200 F2.8
K3iii + K3ii + K5iis converted to IR, Sigma 17 - 70 F2.8, Pentax 55 - 300 F4.5 / F5.6 PLM