Bumble Bee

[Ducky1]

Hi everyone, I just got my first DSLR back in July, and this was one of the first shots I took with it. I thought it turned out pretty well, but I would like the opinions of some more seasoned photographers.



Camera: Nikon D90
Shutter Speed:1/395 second
Aperture:F/7.1
Focal Length:200 mm
ISO Speed:400
Edited in Photoshop

[irispatch]

Image is a little soft, and too centered what was your focal point? For shooting insects try to focus on the eye. If you can get several shots at different focal depth you can stack the images to get one sharp image. I would crop some off the right side to put the flower closer to the edge avoiding the centered composition.

[Ducky1]

Thank you for the advice irispatch, the tip about focusing on the eye is a good one. It is hard to get several shots at different focal lengths with a subject that is moving, unless there is a quick way to set the camera up to do this that I don't know about yet. There are still a lot of bells and whistles on my camera that I am not yet familiar with, and I still have a lot to learn.

[Ducky1]

Anyone else?

[Thunder_o_b]

Originally Posted by Ducky1

Anyone else?

I believe what you have here is a male member of the digger bee Anthophora species

For focusing, you will find as your macro skills grow you will want to use manual focus. Pre focus the lens and focus by rocking your body past the point of focus of the subject and then back, taking the shot on the move as you hit the focus point. you will find that it is faster and far more accurate than using the AF. It will take time and practice, but you will find that it is an extremely effective technique.

I have a shot like this (same bee and flower) taken with a 150mm lens using this technique, if would you like to see it I can post it.

[crockny]

The huge white spot on the right detracts from the picture ... I agree you should crop some of it and clone out the rest ... very good for a first timer!