Robert Coleman
November 2023 - Collecting Pollen
Original
About the Image(s)
A honey bee (hopefully one of ours) was collecting pollen from a cleome in our backyard this summer. The honey bees and other native bees had taken all of the pollen from the flowers within a week.
Nikon Z6 with Nikkor Z 24-200 f/4.6-6.3 VR lens at 200 mm
1/1000 sec at f/6.3, ISO 1100
Sharpening and noise reduction in DxO Photolab 6. Cropping and additional editing in Lightroom Classic
This round’s discussion is now closed!
8 comments posted
Robert, I think you've done an amazing job with capturing this little guy in mid-flight. The composition is lovely as is your editing. The bee is tack-sharp against a lovely, blurred background. The flowers are also slightly soft, which for me works well, drawing my attention back to the bee.
I do have one small suggestion for you to consider: I find that the leaf jutting out from mid-frame left seems overly bright and momentarily draws my attention away from the bee. It would be a quick fix with a localized adjustment. Regardless, you have crafted a beautiful image about which you should be proud! Posted: 11/05/2023 08:20:13
I do have one small suggestion for you to consider: I find that the leaf jutting out from mid-frame left seems overly bright and momentarily draws my attention away from the bee. It would be a quick fix with a localized adjustment. Regardless, you have crafted a beautiful image about which you should be proud! Posted: 11/05/2023 08:20:13
Michael,
Thanks. As always, I appreciate your suggestions.
I was on vacation in the end of October. We went to Zion and Bryce National Parks. I was thinking of your suggestions to expose for the highlights. Lots of dynamic range between the shadows and the highlights when the morning sun was hitting the peaks. I was using the exposure compensation dial to compensate for blown out highlights. Now that the dust has settled here at home, I'm looking forward to processing the photos and sharing them with the group.
Posted: 11/05/2023 08:50:15
Thanks. As always, I appreciate your suggestions.
I was on vacation in the end of October. We went to Zion and Bryce National Parks. I was thinking of your suggestions to expose for the highlights. Lots of dynamic range between the shadows and the highlights when the morning sun was hitting the peaks. I was using the exposure compensation dial to compensate for blown out highlights. Now that the dust has settled here at home, I'm looking forward to processing the photos and sharing them with the group.
Posted: 11/05/2023 08:50:15
Can't wait to see some of those images! After much resistance, I finally embraced using the Zebra function on my camera (all modern cameras have it) to monitor the highlights. I previously had found Zebras distracting but in the end, using them to shout at me when my highlights are about to be overexposed has really helped. Keep up the good work! Posted: 11/05/2023 09:07:12
Robert, I think that capturing the bee in mid flight with such sharpness is very hard to do. Kudos for catching the bee's details so well. The position of the bee in the intersection of thirds also works well for my eyes. The colors of the scene, orange, pink, white, and green, give the image a look of new life and springtime. As Michael suggests, the blossoms are a bit soft, but that allows the focus to be on the bee. I'd prefer the brightness of the leaves in the middle left as well as the lower left be brought down a bit, so they don't distract from the bee. Well done, Robert! Posted: 11/06/2023 09:25:47
Agree with your suggestions. Here is a stab at it. I had problems avoiding creating artifacts with using brushes and playing with highlights, exposure, and the color picker. I'll eventually try working with the image in Photoshop to get rid of those pesky leaves on the left of the image. I've attached my first stab at the corrections. Posted: 11/06/2023 10:06:18
Robert, I think this new edit is an improvement for your image. I'm not sure why the lowering of the brilliance made the green so bright on the middle left. The bottom editing works quite well though. Posted: 11/11/2023 18:09:04
Robert, I really like images of bees in flight and you have captured this one very nicely, even the glint in the eye! The composition works well and everything leads to the bee. I agree with others about taking down the brightness of the leaf on the left but that is an easy fix in processing. Nice image! Posted: 11/11/2023 18:55:42
Hi Robert,
I agree with others' comments that the leaf on the left is a bit bright that draws the viewer's eyes there. Your new edit has addressed that.
I especially like the action of your shot when the bee just starts landing on the anthers of the cleome. Nice capture! Posted: 11/27/2023 16:25:28
I agree with others' comments that the leaf on the left is a bit bright that draws the viewer's eyes there. Your new edit has addressed that.
I especially like the action of your shot when the bee just starts landing on the anthers of the cleome. Nice capture! Posted: 11/27/2023 16:25:28