Canan Karatekin
July 2026 - Dreaming in Yellow
Original
About the Image(s)
This looks like a bee sleeping peacefully in the middle of a flower, but I caught it in mid-action. It was actually rapidly tossing and turning and doing whatever it does inside flowers and looking blissed out on the pollen.
Fuji X-T5
Fuji 80mm/f2.8 macro lens
Hand-held
f/22, 1/250 sec, ISO 400
On-camera Godox flash + Cygnustech diffuser
Processed with DxO Photolab, Nik Color Efex, and Photoshop.
6 comments posted
Canan, that is an amazing image. The post processing brings out the petals of the daffodil(?) and softens the image. The difference in the color is more pleasing to me. Nice. Posted: 07/01/2026 21:50:09
Thank you very much, Cindy :-). I think this was a yellow rose. Posted: 07/02/2026 18:14:59
Wonderful photo, Canan! My eye and brain had to work a bit to untangle the bee from the flower and I felt a surge of delight when I did. Just enough challenge to hold the viewer's interest. The bee is so sharp and perfect, and the f/22 did a fantastic job of providing the depth of field to include the whole bee and the stamens in focus. The flash lit everything perfectly! It's amazing you could do that hand held. It's amazing to just find a bee so engrossed in its activities that it didn't fly away! Posted: 07/11/2026 16:43:05
Thank you very much, Jennifer :-) Bees are hyperactive, but sometimes they get into a flower and really work that flower! That's when I try to catch them. Posted: 07/12/2026 20:56:10
Your edits are perfect - love the soft/dreamy yellow! The dark coloring of the narcotized bee pops against the yellow. I like the contrast between the soft/beautiful flower and the bee (that I associate with danger). Sharp/great detail. Shooting this with flash enabled you to get a sharp/still image hand held (the actual exposure was much faster than 1/250). The flip side is that the scene is so still - that I initially wasn't sure the bee was alive! When you shoot images like this - do you use auto-focus? Posted: 07/12/2026 12:45:53
Thank you very much, Steven. The bee looks narcotized but was definitely not! It's interesting that you say it is so still. I guess this picture gives me a feeling of calmness and rest and relaxation, even though I know in reality, it was in the middle of working very hard. It would be fun to also try to capture the sense of action, though, using a slow shutter speed & maybe ditching the flash that would stop the action. You're giving me ideas!
I use continuous AF when the subject is moving, like this one was. Otherwise, when I can, I use manual focus because it's more precise. AF doesn't always focus on the eye or the exact part I want.
Thanks for the feedback :-) Posted: 07/12/2026 21:00:30
I use continuous AF when the subject is moving, like this one was. Otherwise, when I can, I use manual focus because it's more precise. AF doesn't always focus on the eye or the exact part I want.
Thanks for the feedback :-) Posted: 07/12/2026 21:00:30