The colors of the False Indigo Bushes (Amorpha fruticosa) were spectacular on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, attracting my attention as well as that of an energetic honey bee (g. Apis) whose pollen sacs were already filled to bulging. I was initially paying so much attention to focusing on the moving bee that I did not realize that my shutter speed had dropped to 1/400—I was in aperture priority mode. The first photo was a “happy accident: in which the bee’s face was in focus, but its rapidly-moving wings were a blur.
In the second shot, the bee had landed and was crawling all around the stalks of the false indigo bush. I am really happy with my snapshot of that action that captured the color and movement of my brief encounter with the honey bee.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
These photos are spectacular, Mike! The use of the complementary colours is really satisfying in this image and also gives it extra punch. I also like the way the bee’s abdomen is echoed in the lozenge shape of the plant. But the thing that particularly makes that first shot so fantastic is the way you managed to get the bee’s face so crisp while capturing the speed of the wing movement. It may have been serendipity but only because your skills and experience set you up for success even in that circumstance.
Thanks, Laura. Once again, you have managed to put into descriptive words some of my intuitive, emotional reaction to the photos. It had not even struck me that the colors were complementary, but they really do enhance the visual impact of the images. Your last sentence sums up what I often say to people who tell me that I am “lucky”–luck may provide the opportunity, but skills and experience help me take advantage of those opportunities.