i'm not giving up though!!! no way! here are 3 shots i've taken...the 2 with the coneflower i took last week; this one i took Wed; it was a bit overcast at the time. Any advice????? After 2 years of shooting, i still can't nail a damn bee shot!!! They move so freakin' fast...especially on the lavendar...i guess 'cause there's not much much nectar to suck out. i don't have time try to compose my shots...just work as fast as i can. i love a macro! Is there a certain time of day that's better than others to get these guys? I've tried many different settings. Would appreciate any advice you can give me! f/2.8 1/320 sec ISO 64 focal length 9 mm metering mode: spot

f/4 1/100 sec ISO 64 focal length: 8mm metering mode: pattern

this one's even worse... f/3.5 1/60 sec ISO 64 focal length 8mm metering mode: pattern

oops...here it is

They ain't bad - 1st and last ones probably the better ones. I'm no expert you need someone like Jeroen to tell you how it's done.
If it were me, I would start early morning when they are a bit colder so they don't move so fast. Set up my camera on a tripod: zoomed in, continous shooting, macro mode aimed at a flower head where I know they will arrive then sit and wait with a nice cup of tea and a biscuit. Soon as one arrives fire by remote if you have one.
But then I like the couch potato style of photography :)

Message edited on: 07/29/2005 12:07

LMAO at you Richard!!! Couch potato style of photography!!! haha! well, you gotta understand something about me...sitting still is verrrrrrrry hard for me to do! i'm like a little bee, always buzzing around! :) Early morning...ok...i can sacrifice some sleep if it means getting my shot. Tripod...haven't tried that yet with bee shots so definitely i should. Kemal was telling me last week he can see my hands shaking while i shoot. I can't stop my hands from shaking. But that's not the reason these photos are lousy. Tripod would help. i just hate using one. But i'll do whatever i have to do to catch these stinkin' bees!!! Thanks for the suggestions, Richard! Still laughing, imagining you shooting, sitting back with your tea, biscuits, and remote!!! yep...i have a remote alright. ok...i'll give your couch potato style of photography a try!!! I'll show the results in here! Thanks for the tips! :) Oh...Jeroen has coached me. i just plain SUCK!!!!

Sheila, Just a question, are you using the LCD or the viewfinder? In my experience, I find that taking shots of bugs with the LCD is kinda difficult. Not to say it can't be done, but I seem to be able to track them better using the viewfinder. My want to give that a try! I'm usually out between 1 to 2 pm and see loads of insects/bugs in general. Seems like you were in a pretty good spot...lots of flowers helps, draws'em in like a magnet! Richard gave some great advice...bugs are prettty sluggish in the morning...guess they need that pick me up too! Concentrate on 1 flower eventually one will land on it....you need to learn to anticipate their next move...again this is WHY I use the viewfinder! it seems more nature at time to aim it (rather than being arm length with viewing on the LCD) I feel you can react a bit quicker this way BTW...I don't use a tripod...just can't get in the habit of luggin one with me! Also, don't move in TOO close! The all have that BUG sense, especially with those freaky eyes, they can SEE all around and sense movement! Back up a bit and use you 5x zoom to get in close! Keep trying! I would get to know your surroundings...keep going back to this spot and learn IT...observe them bugs and how they buzz around! Whew...sorry for the long winded message...hope this helps! L8r! Joe

Message edited on: 07/29/2005 14:12

Yep zoooooooooom is the way to go. Gives you more chance of the background being out of focus too. Good idea with the viewfinder, for the more active photographer, if it works on macro mode zoom, some don't because the lens gets in the way of the viewfinder.

If you see a bee in flight or an other insect, just wait and search through your viewfinder till he will sit on a flower....it cost a lot of patience, I know, but it is worth it....if you see that they use their tongue, then you have some time.... I made al my insect shots out of my hand, NO TRIPOD SO FAR...I use the macro, but don't go to close. Most of all I search for a not to busy background, so not to much grass or twigs.....and sometimes I move the flower/grass a bit for the best depth of field...I learn my own style now, in the beginning is was not easy, but I bet you will learn.....look at this snail, I saw it hanging on a grass, but there where a lot other branches near, so I pull it a bit to the foreground and search for a darker background, and this is the result..I also do that with wasps, or bees or butterflies....check my upload "the sucker"

good luck.....

Message edited on: 07/29/2005 15:08

Joe, i always use the LCD. thing is these bees i'm shooting are just above my waist. it would be really hard to track them using the viewfinder when they're down that low, ya know? But I'll definitely give it a try if i find them up higher. i always take pics of them at the zoo...so many flowers there. and the flowers are always really low down. learn to anticipate their next move you said. that will take some patience on my part. i'll see what i can do! Ok, i'll use my zoom more. good idea! i probably am scarin' them! Thanks for your suggestions!!! Richard, i do zoom in some and shoot on macro mode. but i'm not zooming in a lot. i'll try it some more! thanks! Ilona, your sucker image is AWESOME!!!!! so is this snail one!!! I'll try to be more patient...just watch and wait...but that's sooooo hard for me unless i'm exhausted after a long day of work. but i'll try!!!!! Thanks so much for your suggestions!!!!!!!! :)

Hi Sheila,
I ALWAYS use the LCD, using the viewfinder really sucks IMO. And you can get much closer to the subject.
I have to go against Joe on the matter of closing in too much as well, sorry Joe ;o) Get AS CLOSE as you can, BUT do it VERY slowly. Also take shots while youre moving in. That way, when the bug decide to leave before you get there, you always have the shots from a bit further away. In my experience once youre really close (3 - 5 cm approx) the bugs wont be startled as easily anymore... as if they have 'excepted' the presence of the cam :o)(this is why using the viewfinder doesnt work for me)
Sometimes, especially with dragons and butties, you really need to move in ridiculously slow. Especially when theyre sitting on the ground. Keep in mind that your shoes move the fastest, even when youre walking slow... so move your feet slowly through the air and put them down softly. Believe me youll look like a fool :oP LOL
Also with try to move in horizontally the last 30 cm or so, bugs are afraid more of what comes from above than what comes from the ground. DO NOT make any unsuspected or jerky movements, DO NOT touch the leaf, stick or whatever they are sitting on (especially with flying insects). When its windy you can touch it, but preferably below the insect, grab hold of the twig or leaf they are on, put the cam on your hand and snap away. Cos the wind shakes the vegetation anyway they often wont notice you. And by holding the plant you hold it still.
Uhm... oh yeah dont ever cast your shadow over an insect, they tend not to like that at all ;o)
Also watch your subjects, learn their patterns of behaviour. Learn the surroundings too, come back often... so youll know which insects tend to be in which places.
Dont follow an insect too long, just leave it be and concentrate on another one.
Be an opportunist, dont go out wanting a pic of a bee... go out wanting A pic. Go to your photo places look around and take in the environment. If you dont see bugs right away, sit down or calmly walk around enjoying nature... they will come to you LOL. Pretty soon youll start to see all sorts of bugs.
DO NOT go out shooting in your shorts btw. LOL sometimes youll have to walk through nettles and thistles and what more to get that shot. Also, were i live, there are these horseflies... and although theyve never bitten me i prefer them not sitting on my bare leg LOL ;o)
Hmm... what more can i say... i dunno... if you have any questions you can always ask Sheila :o)
I hope my writing is understandable, its a bit un-structured LOL

Anyways, have a great day and happy hunting !! :o)
Jeroen

P.S. The insects in the "hovering" pics i uploaded recently were hoverflies, not bees ;oP

Message edited on: 07/30/2005 05:24

Hey Jeroen...by all means! Your images speak for themselves! I think the MORE input the better! It gives Sheila (and everyone else) more ways of getting the result! It all comes down to preference and what works for us in the long run! One other thing I have noticed, sometimes the sun can reflect off your lens and actually scare the bugs away! So just be aware of this when shooting!

Yep, Joe... and that tip of yours about the flaring could be very useful... thanks !! :o) Jeroen P.S. Pardon my spelling in my previous post btw. shame LOL ;o)

Thanks so much Jeroen for your input!!!! Wow, you've given me so much more to think about! ok, so going over top of them scares them? That's how i've been shooting because they're at my waist-level. Ok, here's what i'm gonna need to do. I'm gonna look like a fool, but i don't give a damn. i take these pics at the zoo. every single time i go there, there are TONS of bees on the lavendar and other flowers. EVERY TIME! i never get a good shot. first, i'll need to buy some of those knee pads. dunno what they're called but they're for people who work in the garden. you strap them on and they give you padding. i'll get down on the concrete and see if i can get some of the bees lower down. i'll just wait in a position...watch. Guess i can do this with any of the flowers. slow...no, i've been moving WAY too fast...following them. i'm not moving slow enough. ok, i'll try to slow down, wait, be more patient, and move horizontally. i would rather use my LCD; it's how i'm used to shooting. casting shadows...i've been doing that too! oh boy. don't go out shooting in my short??? Jeroen, it was 100 degrees last week!! and Kentucky is HUMID!!! the sweat was LITERALLY dripping off me and Kemal!!! it was hard to take pics how much we were sweating! LOL! ok, ok, i'll put on some jeans...anything to get my bee! and you're right...when you just sit in nature, they WILL come to you!!! i usually don't go out with the idea of shooting bees and insects. But when i go to the zoo i always wanna try because i always know exactly where they'll be. and when we go hiking or walking, we always look for insects. my niece Jessie was always finding them...i'll show a few pics in a new thread in a minute. maybe you guys can tell me what i'm doing wrong. anyway, thanks so much for the tips, Jeroen!!!!!! I'll give it a whirl! oh...no big deal about spelling mistakes!!!! :) and thanks Joe for that tip about the flaring!

I forgot to say but i guess you already know... the warmer the weather the more active the insects. Shooting bees and bumbles etc. can be difficult under those conditions, especially when they are frantically feeding on the flowers. Look for one that is somewhat slower than the rest, then wait for him to sit still for a micro second (LOL) and shoot :o) When i shoot bees feeding in the full hot sun more than half of my shots are failures too... just so you know ;o) Oh btw, i meant dont follow them too long if the reason you follow it is that its fleeing from you. Most bees dont flee, but are just done with the flower and fly to another one... ;o) Good luck hunting Sheila, Jeroen

Wow!!! Super tips here!! Thanks for asking Sheila!! LOL maggie copies and pastes furiously I am learning so much here...now the trick is to put it into practice. Practice, practice, practice...great advice! :-) My macros were totally taken spur of the moment, no tripod but ..sometimes I can find a branch to rest my cam on or the ground even just to steady the zoom. I don't go looking for bugs either..they seem to find me when I'm out enjoying nature and I think they get used to be beeing there ;-) ...and then come out. Best of luck to you with your self-imposed challenge Sheila! I know you will succeed!! :-)))

Oops that's used to "ME" beeing there. lol Of course, some even come into my house to find me.... EEKS! :-)

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=1013095

Here is an example (link) about how to shoot a bee best... hehe ;o) Hope you forgive me LOL Jeroen

hahaha Maggie...yeah...i remember that one that came into your house!!! hehe! Practice practice practice is what i do. usually works pretty good, but macros are pretty hard for me. I won't give up though!

here's another i took...found this cool, weird lookin' bug on a dandelion.

i don't delete my bad pictures until i've had a chance to study them and figure out what i did wrong. Was my mistake here not zooming in enough??????? not getting close enough???

f/2.2
1/60
ISO 64
metering mode: pattern
focal length 15 mm edit...we crossed, Jeroen...i just commented. hahahaha...i can't wait to hear the story! :) uh...i think :)

Message edited on: 07/30/2005 12:45

last bad pic i'm gonna post...i promise. i was gonna show you the dead insect Jessie found for me...the one i tried to photograph and couldn't. changed my mind. it's boring. here's one i really want advice on. What did i do wrong??? this little guy landed on Jessie's finger while we were deep in the woods hiking. She hollered at me and showed me. i took a pic of it on her finger (sucky shot) and then i flew away. i found it and took this pic. ok, i see i focused more on the ROCK instead of the dragonfly. BAD BAD BAD girl! *sigh*. I also didn't ZOOM in enough???? i didn't get close enough???? What am i doing wrong??? THANKS!!!! f/2 1/8 sec ISO 120 focal length 7mm metering mode: pattern

Its actually quite a good shot Sheila, could be shot a bit closer though... yeah... the closer, the more detail... but also shallower dof... To avoid having a pic in which the focus is slightly wrong take a bunch of pics. If youre not sure wether your dof will turn out allright, focus slightly in front of the subject. The distance of dof from the focus point is slightly bigger behind the focus point than that before it. Also, the bigger the subject, the wider dof you need. So that means less zoom or bigger distance on big insects. Otherwise youll have to go for a detail-shot in which not all of the bug is in focus. Jeroen

Blimey I wouldn't be complaining with that last one.

Thanks, Jeroen!!!! thanks for the suggestions!!!! I'll try to take some insect shots Wed/Thurs...i hope i'll do better!!!! appreciate your help!!!! :)

LOL...love the Blimey and agree completely! Looks dang good to me!!!

crossed with you, Richard. thank you, but good shot???? looks around where?????? one of mine??? haha! i like to hear you talk! Blimey...that's funny! ok, you, Jeroen, and Maggie all said something about a good shot? which one? seriously. the dragonfly? well, thanks guys! i appreciate it, but i don't like it. i think it's TERRIBLE!!!! i expect so much more out of myself! it's one of my trash pics. i only saved it to study...to figure out what i did wrong and how to improve. i got some decent detail on his face but it's too far away. sigh focus isn't right either. if i can't take macro shots like Jeroen (and others) then i don't want them at all! I expect a LOT better of myself than this picture! sigh.... but truly...thank you for your nice words!!! and thank you for the encouragement. I just look at my macros and hate them! everyone says i'm hard on myself...a perfectionist...very critical of my work...very driven...yep...all true. well, speaking of work..i gotta go. play time over. gotta sling some seafood! :( You guys inspire to do my absolute best!!!!!! thanks!

I hear you Sheila and I do understand what you're saying. I feel the same way actually. I'd love to be able to take pics like those folks you mentioned too. I still think this is a great shot though. :-)

Honestly shiela I don't see anything wrong with the way you have captured the shots for the last two. They certainly equal if not surpass many others I see. The common factor to both of those is they lack impact because they are low contrast. If the insects had been on different backgrounds they would be cracking shots no doubt about it.