Tom Carnahan  


Time To Make Honey by Tom Carnahan

June 2020 - Time To Make Honey

About the Image(s)


Magnolias bloom in late April thru the end of May in this area of Florida and are very in our area . Once the bud opens up the bees will strip the pollen sticks off of the center column. This photo shows the bee removing one of the many pollen stick at the center of each bloom. After removing a small pile of sticks, the bees will wade in the pile and get the pollen to stick to the hind legs for transport to the hive. Have not perfected getting the entire process on one photo and the process goes on and on.. Settings for this photo are 1/88 at f 6.3, the ISO at 1600.

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This round’s discussion is now closed!
9 comments posted




Robert Schleif   Robert Schleif
(Group 78)
That's an interesting story about the bees and the Magnolias. I like the presence of the bee working on the pollen and the leaves that give context to the flower. I'd like the image still more if the petals or flower center were sharper and if the two leaves on the left did not overlap the petals.
  Posted: 06/03/2020 14:05:08



Judy Merson   Judy Merson
A lovely magnolia flower and interesting action capture of the bee Unfortunately the flower is not sharp enough I agree with Robert that the two leaves on the left are distracting   Posted: 06/03/2020 18:57:08



Dorinda Wills   Dorinda Wills
The bee definitely adds interest to this image. The lighting is good. I agree, the image is soft. Did you use a tripod? For an image such as this, I think it is about the only way to get it really sharp.   Posted: 06/03/2020 21:33:48



Jon Joyce   Jon Joyce
Beautiful colors in this image and an interesting story to go along with it. It's very hard to get an aperture small enough to provide a wide depth of focus yet still capture the moving bee. The image could be sharpened but that does not detract from it being a quite nice photograph.   Posted: 06/05/2020 15:09:59



 
Thanks for the comments, advice and guidance. A little more on the conditions where I take the Magnolia photos will explain some of my short comings. All blossoms are at ease 8 feet off of the ground and molt are higher. I use a short step ladder with a with a knee high brade bar because at my age that is as high as I can go safely. The depth of field is set on a shallow setting to concentrate on the bee and some thies the pettals nearest to the lens are out of the sharp field. Speeds are hgh as the bees move all the time and I am using the high speed shutter setting. Last, issue for me is high ISO induces noise is a consideration and but not top on my list.
The list is not a set of excuses and your suggestions will be used next season and I thank you for the help.   Posted: 06/06/2020 06:10:33
Dorinda Wills   Dorinda Wills
Thanks for including your description. ..... just be careful on that ladder!!!!!
  Posted: 06/11/2020 14:12:41



Leonid Shectman   Leonid Shectman
Nice capture, would be better if it would be sharper
see my adjustments   Posted: 06/07/2020 13:56:58
Comment Image



 
Very nice adjustments and you added a lot of UMPH and that is a good thing.   Posted: 06/08/2020 06:07:06



Jessica Manelis   Jessica Manelis
(Group 57)
I like the adjustments Leonid suggested as far as brightening up the color. I would like to see the center of the Magnolia sharper. You could try in Lightroom using the clarity tool. I also agree that the bee makes the image more interesting. And thanks for the lesson. I never knew that was the process.   Posted: 06/11/2020 13:58:18