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Archive 2014 · Honeybee Feeding on a Blackberry Flower

  
 
Dalantech
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Honeybee Feeding on a Blackberry Flower


I baited this honeybee with a little of her own honey. Tech Specs: Canon 1D Mark III (F16, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MPE-65mm macro lens (~1.5x) + a diffused MT-24EX. This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I am holding on to the flower stem with my left hand, and I'm resting the lens on that same hand to keep the scene steady. The "blue sky" is a piece of light blue plexiglass with a piece of glossy photo paper behind it (glossy side toward the camera).

Blog post with a video of how I use that background in the field



Footnote: I'm going on a short vacation for a few days so if you have any questions about what I'm doing and how I'm doing it I'll answer them when I get back on Wednesday.



Aug 01, 2014 at 03:12 PM
cadman342001
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Honeybee Feeding on a Blackberry Flower


Nice work as always John, f16 gives a pretty good dof, oh and thanks for the video.

Can I ask how big that plexi glass is ? 5x7 ? and how do you adjust the height of the stick that holds it or do you try and take pics at a certain height to suit the bg?

Andy



Aug 01, 2014 at 06:46 PM
coder
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Honeybee Feeding on a Blackberry Flower


I like the light to darker blue gradient you got here. I'm not sure what to make of the artificial backgrounds like this, I like the idea in general of manipulating the background like that, though. It's almost convincing as a blue sky, and I wonder if I didn't know how you did it if thats what I would have concluded it was.

Light on the bee is really nice, BTW.



Aug 01, 2014 at 07:21 PM
Dalantech
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Honeybee Feeding on a Blackberry Flower


cadman342001 wrote:
...Can I ask how big that plexi glass is ? 5x7 ? and how do you adjust the height of the stick that holds it or do you try and take pics at a certain height to suit the bg?

Andy


I either have it propped against something, or I have it clamped to something (like in the video). Not sure about the size of the plexi, but the photo paper is just 4x6".




Aug 02, 2014 at 01:40 AM
Dalantech
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Honeybee Feeding on a Blackberry Flower


coder wrote:
I like the light to darker blue gradient you got here. I'm not sure what to make of the artificial backgrounds like this, I like the idea in general of manipulating the background like that, though. It's almost convincing as a blue sky, and I wonder if I didn't know how you did it if thats what I would have concluded it was.

Light on the bee is really nice, BTW.


Before I started describing how I was shooting that background in detail I got a lot of comments about the "blue sky" or "how did you expose for the subject and the sky at those settings?" comments. So if I didn't tell you you might not know that it's fake. Also if you look at the work of some of the old nature photographers you should be able to tell by their camera settings if the background is actually the sky, natural light reflecting off of a leaf, or the flash. The difference between them and me is that I'm letting you know what I'm doing

I like the light on the bee as well, but my current diffusion is forcing me to shoot at ISO 200 in most cases to get a short flash duration. I'm taking some material with me on vacation so I might be modifying it slightly. Not sure though -the diffusion is looking really good...




Aug 02, 2014 at 01:46 AM
e6filmuser
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Honeybee Feeding on a Blackberry Flower


Dalantech wrote:
I baited this honeybee with a little of her own honey.


I have said this before, and will probably say it again. Baiting a honeybee with honey not from her colony e.g. from a purchased jar, has the potential to infect the colony with American Foulbrood disease:

http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/78183

Harold




Aug 02, 2014 at 09:53 AM
Dalantech
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Honeybee Feeding on a Blackberry Flower


e6filmuser wrote:
I have said this before, and will probably say it again. Baiting a honeybee with honey not from her colony e.g. from a purchased jar, has the potential to infect the colony with American Foulbrood disease:

http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/78183

Harold



From the beekeepers that I've talked to Harold it doesn't make any difference. Due to the low quantities that I use a healthy colony won't have any problems no matter what's in it. Large commercial honey producers leave the comb out after it's gone through a centrifuge so the girls can clean up what's left and take it to their hive. If they were concerned about spreading diseases they wouldn't do it.

If you're really concerned then just use corn syrup (commercial beekeepers feed it to their bees as we'll) or make your own syrup from sugar.



Aug 03, 2014 at 11:59 AM
e6filmuser
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Honeybee Feeding on a Blackberry Flower


Dalantech wrote:
From the beekeepers that I've talked to Harold it doesn't make any difference. Due to the low quantities that I use a healthy colony won't have any problems no matter what's in it. Large commercial honey producers leave the comb out after it's gone through a centrifuge so the girls can clean up what's left and take it to their hive. If they were concerned about spreading diseases they wouldn't do it.


John,

It wasn't aimed at you, just a general warning.

Honey from within the bee's apiary will not be a problem. Honey from a retail outlet might be. I was deeply involved with bees for 20 years and know that foulbrood is a serious problem where there is infection, colonies having to be destroyed.

I happily revive bumble bees with honey, although I used sugar and water for them and for honey bees.

Harold




Aug 03, 2014 at 03:25 PM





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