Been and Gone

The poor old bumble bee had exhausted himself trying to escape from the spare room..once I'd de-fluffed him he made a good (apart from being nearly all the same colour!) model for my new 'macro' system as recommended by @psychographer. Still learning but I'm really pleased with the set up - seems like at great deal at a little over £20.

[andy c]

really good detail...

[Lisa]

Wow, that is awesome. He looks quite exhausted. What is your new system then?

[Judith Greenwood]

@traeumerlein Normal kit lens with Opteka 10x Macro lens that scres on the end - and I had to fork out an extra couple of pounds for an adaptor ring as my lens is 58mm and the extra lens is 55mm. I've been focusing in manual (I assume AF won't work) but the other electronics work - it's just a matter of trial and error to get them to do what you want.

[Inty Malcolm]

That one fed up bee. Nice one.

[Lisa]

@judithg Ahhh, yes, I've got the same screw on thing. It works quite well (and as I don't have a fancy lens it fits mine just fine). I'm amazed how close you got to this with that technique. Or did you crop this?

[Judith Greenwood]

@traeumerlein Not cropped at all - and as my son has helpfully pointed out I've lost a bit of clarity in the processing. The bee was dead obviously or I would have been a bit further away!

[Lisa]

@judithg I'm deeply impressed I must say :) And I don't mind loosing a bit of clarity for the 'right' tones ;)

[Alison Tomlin]

That is cheap. Seems to work well on this poor dead bee

[Humphrey Hippo]

Good focus. He does look fed up!

[june milner]

Such an elegant headstand he does.

[Lisa]

how does one "defluff" a bee?

[GINA]

very cool macro!!!

[Graham Harcombe]

He does look all hunched up, but great detail on his little face.

[Hazel]

Is he dead or alive, I can't decide?

[Jane Pittenger]

Looks like a crumpled old man. Terrific focus on his eyes

[Judith Greenwood]

@quietpurplehaze Dead, very, quite crispy in fact. Sad.

[John]

Cool macro and good job on cleaning him

[Mair]

De fluffed bumble bee makes a good photo! I like the twinkle in it's eye.

[Boxplayer]

I'm rather upset about the poor exhausted bee, even if it makes a good fluffed up photo

[Muse]

Good macro! Love the DOF. But poor bee.

[Diana Moss]

That poor bee looks a very reluctant model Judith, did it survive ?

[Diana Moss]

Opps just read above that it was dead .

[Judith Greenwood]

@nanalisarocks In this case carefully with a pencil!

[Barbara Paquette]

Very cleverly posed. He doesn't look dead. Rather forlorn though.

[samantha]

Fab shot, it made me laugh because he looks like he's sulking! =)

[Juliette Packham]

this is cool - I have a wasp that is curled up on my psare room windowsill - waiting for an op like this!

[🐓 Patricia Fletcher]

I wish I hadn't known it was dead . . . May be his drooping antennae give the game away! Really clever shot Judith, if a little sad.

[Janna E.]

Cool new macro equipment - I love how you put it to use!

[Lisa Pouncy]

Great macro. He looks as if he's sitting up. Glad you're finding the lens useful xx

[Melanie Savage]

Super detail, I love his sitting pose! Do you have to get really close with the macro add on?

[Judith Greenwood]

@melaniesavage Been meaning to answer this - not as close as with the tubes - I think the flower was 4-5 inches away. Also you get a bit more depth of field so it's more forgiving.

[Melanie Savage]

@judithg I might have to have a little look on ebay or amazon then! The second hand lens I was hoping for is still too expensive:(

[Judith Greenwood]

@melaniesavage It's certainly fun to have a go for a very modest outlay. Be a good stepping stone to deciding if macro is for you - I'm not sure it's my big thing (rather have a zoom lens) but its great to play with.