Honey Bee

David Friederich

Honey Bee

Featured in Color and Light, Nikon DSLR, Animal Photography, and Extreme Closeups.

I find macro photography very exciting, especially trying to capture action. I shot hundreds to come up with this one image, that is surely one of my best ever macro shots. I captured this image hand held, with manual focusing, and manual settings for shutter and aperture. I tried using autofocus, but it simply was not fast enough, when the lens was only 15 centimetres from the subject. I found I was able to anticipate the action of the bees, and got many “almost in focus” shots, but none as sharp as this one. I love how this bee is laden with honey, and covered in pollen dust. He was moving towards his next treasure, when I captured this. At first, I set the shutter at 1/1000s, but the images didn’t look realistic with the wings almost stopped. At 1/800 the wings are realistically blurred. I captured this with my D300 and Sigma 150 mm f2.8 macro lens, ISO 400, f8, 1/800s on Vancouver Island, Canada.

Honey Bee belongs to the following groups:

** Super Macro Photography (Two Per Day ), *A Beautiful Blur, All Around the Styles, Americas ~ Rural, Urban, Wild, Free, Animal Kingdom, Bee & Wasp Passions, Birds and Creatures of Flight, Bits and Pieces , Canada ~ *4/day - READ RULES*, Conservation Photography, Dimensions, DSLR Users Only - 1/24 - Camera & Lens In Description Please., Extreme Close-Ups, Freedom to Shine, High Quality Animal Images - 1 Submission a Week, Insects, Bugs and Creepy Crawlies (2 A Day), Live, Love, Dream: , Made By Nature - {2 a day} - {challenge theme only!}, Mother Nature's Finest, Mysteries of the Common(2 per day), Natural Developments, Nature's Wonders, Nikon DSLR Users Group - 2 uploads per 24 hours, Plight of the Bumble Bee, Shameless Self-Promotion, Stillness Speaks **Max 2 uploads per day** {{No NUDES, ABSTRACT, CANDIDS or ACTION IMAGES}}, Technical Photography, The Addicted Photographerâ–º2 Per Dayâ—„, The true beauty and Top Shelf Wildlife & Nature Art Available for sale as

Greeting Cards, Matted Prints, Laminated Prints, Mounted Prints and Framed Prints
Honey Bee by David Friederich
Honey Bee by David Friederich
  • tuffcookie

    tuffcookie

    wow what a fantastic macro shot1 love the motion and how laiden down he is with pollen :)

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Kelly. I had lots of fun shooting this, but there were many disappointments before I got this one.

  • mltrue

    mltrue

    Wonderful image, David!! Love the detail of the face and the slight blur of the wings, perfect capture!

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Michelle. I feel very satisfied with this one.

  • tuffcookie

    tuffcookie

    there usually is. especially with bugs lol. I’ve often taken over a 100 shots and only been happy with one or two :)

  • Marvin Collins

    Marvin Collins

    Wow!! Great shot David, well done!!!

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Marvin. I am glad you like it.

  • handprintz

    handprintz

    Awesome David, lovely work

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Trudi.

  • Donna Adamski

    Donna Adamski

    Excellent capture David…it is very hard to get a good shot like this with AF…This is superb…well done :)

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Donna. I haven’t shot much with manual focus. I was surprised how well I could do.

  • jesika

    jesika

    Simply superb! St Focus smiled on you here, David.
    Someone once told me macro is the easiest form of photography…
    I’m delighted you are having fun discovering the tiny world.
    j

  • David Friederich replied

    I actually find macro photography quite challenging. Yes, St Focus blessed this image, but you should see how many she didn’t bless :))). Thank you, Jesika.

  • Kristina K

    Kristina K

    macro is so much fun its opened new worlds, lol.. well done david :)) k

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Kristina. I hope to do more macro than I have done to date.

  • Anthea Slade

    Anthea Slade

    Wow that is a fabulous macro catching that honey bee in flight. Beautifully done my friend.

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Anthea.

  • David Clarke

    David Clarke

    A superb image, David, worth all the effort and the patience to get that one, perfect shot. I agree with all your sentiments about wing blur etc.

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you David. I am glad you commented.

  • Von McKnelly

    Von McKnelly

    David is outstanding in his field…then he spotted a bee and wondered what all the buzz was about. Grabbing his trusty Cannon he proceeded to capture one of the BEST action bee shots I’ve ever seen.

  • David Friederich replied

    LOL….Von, thank you so much.

  • Clare101

    Clare101

    This is just stunning David… I love it

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Clare.

  • Sensiworld

    Sensiworld

    Great shot and detail !

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Sylvia.

  • Sandy Stewart

    Sandy Stewart

    Excellent macro work David! From framing, exposure, dof, to focus, you nailed this one!!!! I love macro! It is so easy to miss and or passes by so much of the smaller life forms in normal every day life, where viewing through the lens of macro awakens our senses to these amazing smaller life forms! Great job David! : )

  • David Friederich replied

    What a great comment, as I have come to expect from you, Sandy. I knew I had nailed it. You just know. When I was capturing images of the bees, I was just as elated, just as pumped, as if they were eagles. You are right, the smaller world is just as exciting and important. Thank you so very much, Sandy.

  • Jonicool

    Jonicool

    Couldn’t get more perfect than this…wow!! Love that wing action…amazing macro work!

  • David Friederich replied

    Oh wow, Joni, thank you for such a great comment. I am definitely proud of this one. I am sure I must have appeared a real geek staring my camera into a bush for several hours. From a distance, no one would know I was shooting bees, but then if they knew, they might have thought I was even weirder….:)))

  • Jonicool

    Jonicool

    I feel the same way, when I am in my yard..lol…my neighbors mus think I really like my plants taking pics of them all the time!

  • David Friederich replied

    LOL…Don’t you just love photography! I don’t care if people think I am strange.

  • SandraRos

    SandraRos

    This leaves me stunned !!! Woooow you are so good I just shake to much to get a pefect capture like this. Stunning and fantastic work !!!

  • David Friederich replied

    Sandra, I was so thrilled with this shot, and the other one of the honey bee. I think I was just as excited as if I had captured some very exotic creature. Thank you so much for your delightful comment.

  • Lucindawind

    Lucindawind

    excellent !

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Elaine.

  • John Beamish

    John Beamish

    Very impressive.

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, John.

  • Zachary Golus

    Zachary Golus

    Great Shot :)

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you very much, Zachary.

  • handprintz

    handprintz

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you so much, Trudi. I love this shot, so I am very glad it has been featured.

  • jacqi

    jacqi

    Congratulations David! This is a superb shot. I couldn’t even emulate this if I had the right equipment!

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you very much, Jacqi. I am very proud of this one because it was such a challenge. Even with the right equipment, it was not an easy assignment.

  • Dane Austin

    Dane Austin

    Spectacular photograph – truly a great capture! What patience you must have! I love this photo – it’s an instant fav. :) :)

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Dane. It did take a lot of patience and persistence. But I think it paid off. Thank you for commenting and faving.

  • Steve Bulford

    Steve Bulford

    Love this shot.

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you for commenting, Steve. I am glad you like this shot.

  • wildlifephoto

    wildlifephoto

    Stunning shot David – worth all the effort. Thank goodness for digital!!

    Mick

  • David Friederich replied

    You are sure right about digital. I’d be a poor man if I was using film. Thank you for commenting on this one, Mick.

  • Ginny York

    Ginny York

    Well David…you did a wonderful job!! This is excellent photography!! I love the little sack of pollen on the back legs. The detail and clarity is fantastic!! Instant Fav!!

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Ginny. I love this photo, and I loved the work to get it. Thank you for a great comment and for the fave.

  • AFogArty

    AFogArty

    Awesome shot David, I know that disappointment feeling, but when you capture one like you have I bet the joy washes away all the disappointment.
    Well done!

  • David Friederich replied

    I have learned not to be disappointed and to persist, to take many many shots. Sometimes I find treasures I didn’t expect. Thank you for commenting.

  • David Iori

    David Iori

    Lovely Capture

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, David.

  • Cheryl Lunde

    Cheryl Lunde

    This is stunning David! Instant fave!

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you Cheryl. Thank you for the comment and the fave.

  • Kasia-D

    Kasia-D

    Excellent timing, focussing on just the right spot!

  • David Friederich replied

    This was a challenging project, Kasia, but I managed a few good shots out o hundreds I took. Thank you for commenting.

  • EverChanging1

    EverChanging1

    Awesome capture David
    And i think we can all relate to taking hundreds of shots to get that one magical one :-)) Really well done!!

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you. Yes, you are probably right. We take hundreds, to get a few good ones.

  • stagni

    stagni

    is wonderful! for a moment I would like to become a bee !;-)

  • David Friederich replied

    Great comment, Stagni. Thank you.

  • Jennifer E. Gatine

    Jennifer E. Ga...

    Wonderful shot.

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Jennifer.

  • R. Jason Smith

    R. Jason Smith

    WOW! Amazing capture!

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, perspective.

  • Tom Newman

    Tom Newman

    Magnificent macro David :-)

  • David Friederich replied

    Thank you, Tom.

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