EOS 90D How to photograph bees' wings

[Ramsden]

Good morning from the North of England

I was warned that Macro photography would take me to weird and wonderful places - and it has. My front garden has provided a great, but predictable source of flowers etc. But now my lavendar bushes are in full bloom and attracting lots of bees.

So, serious question: how to get close to bees wings and take great photos. I have an EOS90D + an EFS 24MM, a nifty fifty and an EF 25 extension which I've been mainly using for my macro photographs. So far, my biggest problem has been getting things in focus, particularly when they move - but the bees wings are at another level of difficulty.

As a keen learner, any advice on technique and settings will be gratefully received.

Best 

Ramsden

[Ramsden]

Hi Newton

Thankyou for your reply. I'm on a big learning curve with EOS90D. Your technique really interests me and is probably the route I was going down.

My smallish front garden is semi-wild and I can easily try out your approach tomorrow. I scattered wild flower seeds last year and they are doing well. In addition some wild horseraddish popped up recently - probably from bird droppings! 

I'll give your method a trial tomorrow.

Thanks

Ramsden

[FloridaDrafter]

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@Ramsden wrote:

Hi Newton

Thank you for your reply. I'm on a big learning curve with EOS90D. Your technique really interests me and is probably the route I was going down.

My smallish front garden is semi-wild and I can easily try out your approach tomorrow. I scattered wild flower seeds last year and they are doing well. In addition some wild horseraddish popped up recently - probably from bird droppings! 

I'll give your method a trial tomorrow.

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Just another option, as mentioned, getting good macro shots of foraging insects is tough.

Nothing will replace a dedicated macro lens, but you can get decent closeups with Canon telephoto lenses. They increase your working distance so you put the insects at ease, although some don't seem to mind having a lens 3-4 inches away, most will move on, particularly those with no self defense like a sting 🙂 Just be aware of the MFD for the tele/zoom so you won't get too close and, don't be afraid to raise your ISO a bit sou you can raise your shutter speed and adjust your aperture to get a deeper DOF.

Newton

[Ramsden]

Thanks, again Newton. Even as a relative  old/beginner I was hooked on the clarity of Macro's. The sun is out so I'll soon  be setting off with my new procedures to try and avoid being stung!

Ramsden

[Ramsden]

Hi Newton

I only had a few minutes to spare last night - failing light etc. Tried your settings with my 70-300 and it was a bit distant, so added my 20mm extension and got closer. I had to stop down to 500 because of the light. The immediate difference is between Zoom and Marco - but we got there. Still learning and avoiding getting stung. The butterflies are now on my hit list - but they move quick.

[Ramsden]

[Ramsden]

Wow I’m carried away with this now. Need to widen my scope to the river that runs through my village.  Learning points so far 85mm prime with 20mm extension tube my current preference. But you have to get very close.  Switched to monopod. One shot and fine focus points works if you’re patient and lucky. High multi shot and AI servo works best for me. 

But this has taken my macro photography to another level, so thanks guys. In the last 48hrs I’ve probably canned 150 decent bee shots - but all on my lavender. Watch this space!

[FloridaDrafter]

Hello, Mark!

Not bad, considering the light and distance. I have that lens (EF 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS USM II) and my wife used it on an EOS T7i and for a short time on her EOS R6. I know that lens can do the job, you just need to get a bit closer so you can get more detail, IMO 🙂

Butterflies are indeed tricky to get, particularly in flight. Most of the species that frequent our yard, although they sit in place for a few seconds, never stop fluttering their wings. So I have to use a high shutter speed. Sometimes I like to use their wing blur because it shows motion, but sometimes I like to freeze the action, so I flip between shutter speeds.

Trust me, I understand how tough it can be shooting foraging insects either with a macro or telephoto lens. It took me a while to get a handle on it. I've been doing it for years. I also like to shoot dragonflies.

Here is a screen shot of the settings I typically use.

Just keep at it!

Newton

 

[March411]

Love the image Newton, I would love to see a larger version.

[FloridaDrafter]

Thank you, Marc!

This is reduced from an 8x10 print. Giant Swallowtail. Click the previews to get a higher res image 🙂

Crop from an 8x10. Palamedes Swallowtail, this guy is rare to our yard.

Crop from an 8x10. Monarch Butterfly. I like her little claws 🙂

These shots were taken using the same settings I use for BIF. The R5 tracks them pretty well, not perfect, but good enough so that I get a high keeper rate, which makes it tough to cull shots. I usually just keep everything except the obvious wacky stuff 😁

Newton

[Ramsden]

Thanks guys. This is turning into an awsome project. I'll keep you posted.

Ramsden