We had a wonderful family summer camping holiday prior to Christmas. The children were very interested in how bumble bees pollinate, and kept stopping to watch them at work. They laughed when I told them bumblebees have smelly feet, and they leave their scent on each flower they visit. They loved seeing this one store its pollen, so this was one of the shots they asked me to take.
I cropped in to focus on the bee. I created a Nik HDR Efex layer at 50% opacity and painted on the bee, then lowered the brush opacity and lightly painted the flowers on the same plane. I then used a curves layer to lighten the background, and a Hue/Sat layer to cool the background.
I wasn't happy with the flowers in the very foreground being slightly out of focus - but I decided to go with it! I stamped up and added a 3px Gaussian blur, applying it to smooth out the flowers and also the background.
3 comments posted
Bob Crocker
Bees are such great subjects. I like what you have done with your post processing to tie everything together. I wish there had been more DOF for seeing all the bee has to offer but hey, in the field, not always possible. That horizontal wing is sharp and helps the viewers eye pull toward the insect. Posted: 01/15/2025 22:41:11
Cindy Lynch
Wonderful composition, colors and blurred background. With that being said, I wish the bee was in sharper focus. Posted: 01/17/2025 02:25:17
Tom McCreary
Your editing really improved the image, and cropping in was the way to go. The out of focus flowers in the foreground don't bother me, as the eye goes straight to the bee. It looks to me that the bee should be in focus and sharper, but the tight crop has made it look not as sharp as we would like. I am sure that the children really enjoy the shot, and that it was a fun day. Posted: 01/20/2025 21:40:05
