Have you ever tried to take photos of a bee in flight? In the past, I have managed to get a few such shots accidentally, when a bee took off as I was shooting.
However, a few days ago when the light was fading in the early evening, I decided to try to photograph a bee in flight using my pop-up flash. I knew that timing would be critical, because the time required for the flash to recycle meant that I would get only one shot each attempt, and not a burst. It was a fun little challenge, even though most of my shots were out of focus.
I especially like the first image, in which the bee appears to be attempting to hover in mid-air. The second shot makes it look like the bee was free-falling, waiting for the optimal moment to deploy his tiny parachute.
It’s easy to get ultra-serious about photography and get bogged down thinking of settings and exposures and composition—it’s nice sometimes to just have fun and then share the results of the fun time.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Oooh! Love them! Hey, you need to come over to the backyard…the GIGANTIC Casablanca lilies are in full bloom…and this morning, as I was photographing a Shasta daisy, a Swallowtail landed on one…didn’t get a sharp shot quick enough.
Very nice shots. Pop up Flash, impressive!
Thanks. I’ve decided that I need to learn to use an off camera flash for some of my macro shots, but until I do, it’s fun to play with what I have.
wow
Thanks. I like the whimsical element to these images.
I didn’t realize that individual bees have personality. But they do!
Single frame shooting takes back to the old days of photography. I have to say, I was scrolling through my reader and as your bee image started to appear, I thought, “This has got to be Mike’s image.”
Sure enough. 🙂
Wow. I have a reputation? I am always attracted by things that are a little unusual and quirky and I think these bee shots qualify.
Perhaps more of a style or brand…but reputation works. 🙂
I’m pretty happy if this is representative of my brand. 🙂
AAAAAwesome! B!
Thanks. Gotta love the bees!
Wow!
Another amazing picture. I have a camera and it is just lying fallow in my closet. You are inspiring me to give photography a shot. i’ll let you see my first pix which is going to be from an amateur only if you promise not to giggle after seeing it. lol!
You definitely should give it a shot (and take lots of shots). It’s a lot of fun to experiment and play with different subjects and different approaches. As long as your camera is digital, it’s really cheap to take lots of photos and delete the ones that you don’t like.
These are excellent!