Honey Bee

[Rob Wood]

Honey Bee, Gatlinburg, Tennessee

What I would like feedback on is the composition. The bee is the subject. Does the flower add to, or detract from, the photo?

Thanks.

Exif:

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Date Time: 2008-10-25 T16:41:27-08:00
Exposure: 1/1300 sec
Aperture: f/7.1
Lens: Canon 28-135mm with image stabilization (on)
Focal Length: 135 mm
Exposure Program: Action (biased toward fast shutter speed)
ISO Speed: 400
Metering Mode: Pattern

[porkchop_express]

Hi Rob,
I like the motion blur of the bee. It gives the shot life and energy. For me, the flowers/leaves along the right side of the shot is distracting. Cropping it out would draw me back to the bee. The flowers along the bottom look fine to me.

-Aaron

[Bob McClure]

It may be me but I don't see the bee going to or from the flowers so I would try to crop out the flowers, esp. with the color difference. As a former beekeeper, I like the shot of the bee.

[Rob Wood]

Originally Posted by porkchop_express

Hi Rob,
I like the motion blur of the bee. It gives the shot life and energy. For me, the flowers/leaves along the right side of the shot is distracting. Cropping it out would draw me back to the bee. The flowers along the bottom look fine to me.

-Aaron

I think you might be right. Here it is, cropped as you suggest. Now the bee seems intent on the pink flowers (which it was).

Thanks!

[Rob Wood]

Originally Posted by Bob McClure

It may be me but I don't see the bee going to or from the flowers so I would try to crop out the flowers, esp. with the color difference. As a former beekeeper, I like the shot of the bee.

Interesting! The bee was actually flying from blossom to blossom, with me following along, shooting it, but the shot as I originally posted it doesn't convey that "busy bee-ness," and that's what's been bothering me about the way I cropped it. Take a look at the cropped version with the right side flowers cropped out. Does that change the story effectively? At any rate, here's the bee with no flowers. Is it more or less interesting?

[Abhi]

Hi Rob..

Nice capture!!! The cropped version with the right side flowers cropped out seems perfect. Tells the story as you want it told.

A shot showing more of the flower/s in focus, I feel, would add to the context..good luck next time

[MSidPhoto]

Wow.... Really cool capture....You were so lucky to have got that shot while the bee was in midair....great stuff..
Good work

[Rob Wood]

Originally Posted by Abhi

Hi Rob..

Nice capture!!! The cropped version with the right side flowers cropped out seems perfect. Tells the story as you want it told.

A shot showing more of the flower/s in focus, I feel, would add to the context..good luck next time

Thanks! It's amazing to me how important composition is - not just technically - but contextually. I'm just beginning to understand it, and plan for it. That planning "bumps it up a notch" from merely capturing a subject, to recreating the moment through your own eyes (and lens).

Rob

[Rob Wood]

Originally Posted by KazeFox

Wow.... Really cool capture....You were so lucky to have got that shot while the bee was in midair....great stuff..
Good work

There was a bit of self-prescribed therapy going on there - I'm deathly allergic to honey bees, and have spent most of my life avoiding them. I decided to follow this one around, trying to compose a shot as it buzzed from one blossom to the next. It only stayed put for a few seconds at a time, and the lens was only inches away from it.

Your constructive criticism is quite valuable: the story is about the bee and the flowers - not one or the other. The challenge is to strike a balance, and have them both in focus. Here the bee has found some pollen to collect. I believe the shot would have been much better had I moved quickly to the left. What do you think?

Rob

[porkchop_express]

Originally Posted by Rob Wood

I think you might be right. Here it is, cropped as you suggest. Now the bee seems intent on the pink flowers (which it was).

Thanks!

Nice! I like this composition much better!

Originally Posted by Rob Wood

There was a bit of self-prescribed therapy going on there - I'm deathly allergic to honey bees, and have spent most of my life avoiding them. I decided to follow this one around, trying to compose a shot as it buzzed from one blossom to the next. It only stayed put for a few seconds at a time, and the lens was only inches away from it.

Your constructive criticism is quite valuable: the story is about the bee and the flowers - not one or the other. The challenge is to strike a balance, and have them both in focus. Here the bee has found some pollen to collect. I believe the shot would have been much better had I moved quickly to the left. What do you think?

Rob

Nice capture, and congrats on facing your fears head on! The only suggestion I would offer would be maybe a slightly tighter crop around the flowers bringing your subjects closer and filling more of the frame. Thanks for sharing!