A Brief Overview of My Method After Several Years of Bee Photography

John K wrote:

c h u n k wrote:

AeroPhotographer wrote:

I've shot bees with 90mm and 105mm macro lenses, and various telephoto lenses on extension tubes. Currently, my favorite is a Tamron 70-180mm lens on a 21mm extension tube. It has a maximum magnification of 0.43x. Telephoto lenses work better for me than macro lenses for two reasons:

1. Greater working distance due to longer focal length results in less spooking of bees.
2. Much faster autofocus. The Tam 70-180 is my fastest focusing telephoto lens.

My magnification is mostly in the range of 0.3x to 0.4x. I want more, but DOF drops like a rock with higher magnification. Also, the bees are spooked by my coming closer.

I've tried supplementary lenses like Raynox, but they have a narrower range of working distance (which will autofocus) than extension tubes.

I use naked flash. I've experimented with diffusers and not found one that works on live bees. To be effective, diffusers must surround the bee and that large a diffuser chases them away. I've also tried a ring flash, but the big ring at the end of the lens spooks the bees.

I like high flash power, comprising 90% of the light, to achieve effective 1/10,000 second exposure time. I briefly tried lower flash power in an attempt to reduce specular glare. But it didn't reduce glare and I encountered motion blur, so I returned to the high flash power.

I've tried many types of natural light, but only once was it equal or better than flash. That was a rare bright haze. Clear sunlight can look like flash but the longer effective exposure time and shadows make it inferior to flash.

Most recently I'm shooting bursts of about 4 or 5 frames. I set the flash manually at 1/8 power and my camera at ISO 160 and f11. If I continue the burst past 5 frames, the flash recovers after 3 or 4 dark frames and I get some more properly exposed frames.

I compose and focus while the bee has his mandibles buried in a blossom. I press the shutter as he withdraws. If I'm lucky, I get a frame or two in-focus with the mandibles visible.

I've tried many variations of flash and f-number but like the above best.

Regards,

Alan

I.mentioned to you in the other thread you are in, but the issue you are having with specular highlights is clearly the diffusion you are using. Not the flash power. **The larger the source of light relative to subject, the softer the light. The diffuser becomes the source. Distance from subject effectively makes the light source smaller and harder. For macro, using flash, smaller working distances are often helpful.

I've mentioned that to Aero multiple times. Also helps if the light is completely even across the surface of the diffuser. If there is a hot spot in the light then it will act like a point source no matter how large it is relative to the subject.

One harmless solution to stop the bees from being skittish is to put some sugar water in the flower. They will eat it right off your fingers too. The drop on DOF is solved easily with bees with angle of your camera to the bee. These photos range from 1× to 2x. Dof, i think, is not an issue.

Very shallow DOF but solved with a good angle

Sugar water and a male carpenter bee. Ive done this many times with honey bees too

Great minds think alike

I actually learned that one from you, john. Years ago now

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Also known as Dalantech
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