Genus Xylocopa Violacea
Carpenter bees can be huge. Out in the fields, I came down a path and saw some strange bees. They looked like they all swam in some pond or spend time at a fountain or water nearby. A little while later a large bee came flying in, hovering really slowly. It was so large. Knowing it was a bee, I thought it must have been a special species of bees. It's shiny exoskeleton and wings was a thrilling spectacle, shimmering in the sunlight.
Larger than my Thumb
Macrotemps 2
Attempts with different settings
The Bees
This time I made sure to tweak the settings on the camera to suit quick clicking. In my last post I had set my camera to do HDR. Being my first attempt with HDR editing, my outcome was very experimental. Keeping it simple, I just followed my nose straight to the nectar and focused on some practical shots this time.
Around where I live there is a lot of lavender. Each bumble bee has its own character and they visit lavender a lot. It's such an amazing experience to just dive into a different world right outside your house and immerse into a macro dimension.
Angry Bee
The last two pictures are the same bumble bee, that noticed I was following it from one flower to the next. It didn't like it. After that last picture it flew right around me once 360 degrees, bumped into me and flew away. I caught that last picture right when it left the flower and made that move towards me. Not all bees are the same. I experienced quite expressive bees. Here's a link to my very first Steemit Post:
("Bees in May")
| Category |  @photocircle,  @photography,  @ntopaz |
| Camera | Sony α 7r II |
| Lens | RMC Tokina 35-105mm, +10 Macro Filter |
| Location | Zurich - Switzerland |
| Photographer |  @yangyanje |
| Editing | Photoshop: Unsharp mask, Shadows/Highlights, Contrast, Color Balance |
Using a 35-105mm lens with a macro filter seems pretty straight forward. I set my aperture to around 8, to have a reduced depth of field.
On a path to the bees, this butterfly kept landing next to where I was fixing my camera, while being seated on the floor.
I also film, using several cameras and lenses. My previous Video post is a time lapse on 
Rane Graffiti Timelapse
"At the end of the Universe you have to use the past tense a lot...everything's been done you know." - Douglas Adams
[ NOTE: In these series of experiments I would like to use different lenses, converters and filters to achieve various styles of macro photography and test unique combinations. I would like to share my experience and findings here within. This post, and my previous series of 'Macrosperiments' are dedicated to Pollinating Insects. ]
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