Mark Bamberger
July 2026 - Canna Lily
Original
About the Image(s)
I took this picture of a Canna Lily growing on my deck on a recent afternoon, before golden hour, which accounts for the brightness in the original photo. I saw a bee hovering around and wanted to catch it on the petals. In my rush, I wish I had zoomed out to catch the entire flower and had a reflector to lighten some of the shadows on the right side. Edits done in LrC, including masking and some clean-up on the petals.
R6 II (handheld); rf 70-200 (w/CPL) @ 200mm; f/11; 1/250 sec; ISO 400
6 comments posted
You captured quite a lot in this photo, so much that it's difficult to say what the subject is. The lilies are such a vibrant red that it grabs my attention right away. The grouping of 4-5 pods in the center also piqued my curiosity. The bee adds interest, but doesn't seem to be the main subject although it does seem to mimic the pods in some way. Perhaps, if the image were cropped tightly to focus on the bee and pods, it might present some kind of story like the bee going into the flower while the pods are coming out of the flower. Posted: 07/01/2026 23:57:44
Thanks for your comments, David. What I liked about this composition is that my eye kept wandering from the bee to the 3 flowers to the emerging buds. However, my second thought was that it's too much! I considered not entering it but thought it would be good to see what others think. I agree your suggestion of the crop looks better. Posted: 07/04/2026 11:32:58
I agree with David on thinking about cropping this image in. The colors are so vivid and there is a lot going on with the addition of the bee. Although you did work on toning it down some, the lighting still feels a bit harsh. Since you really wanted to be sure to include the bee, I agree that a tighter crop might be beneficial. Do you ever think about using a diffuser when the light is really bright? I sometimes clamp a small diffuser onto something (a tripod leg for instance) and put it between the sun and my subject to soften the shadows. I use a Wimberley plamp to do that. Posted: 07/03/2026 20:12:46
Denise, see reply above to David. Also, this is a good example of why it is rarely a good idea to shoot flowers on a bright sunny day! I usually try to shoot in morning or late afternoon, but mostly on cloudy days. I have some small diffusers for macro but think will need to invest in a larger one. Thanks for the comments. Posted: 07/04/2026 11:36:46
I like the crop David made to this image. The lighting is too harsh for my eye. If using a tripod, it makes to very easy to use a diffuser to correct this issue when shooting in full sunlight. Posted: 07/10/2026 01:32:58
There is so much of interest in this image. I like the bright colors and interaction with the bee. David's crop helps the focus on the bee and keep the eye from wandering. Although I love the color and saturation of the flower, reducing the saturation might help focus the eye on the bee. Posted: 07/10/2026 13:52:50