Pollen Covered Mason Bee
Technique: After photographing this mason bee in my lavender I turned it loose in a plant on my patio while I went to have lunch. Evidently the little guy got active and had lunch as well, because this is how I found him later on that same afternoon. Cool, partly cloudy, weather created stop and go conditions for the bee and made it easier for me to get close.
Megachile (Chalicodoma) parietina, Male.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (set to over 2x) + a diffused MT-24EX (both flash heads on the Canon flash mount, E-TTL metering). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I used an artificial flower to keep the background from being black.
Pollen Covered Mason Bee
Technique: After photographing this mason bee in my lavender I turned it loose in a plant on my patio while I went to have lunch. Evidently the little guy got active and had lunch as well, because this is how I found him later on that same afternoon. Cool, partly cloudy, weather created stop and go conditions for the bee and made it easier for me to get close.
Megachile (Chalicodoma) parietina, Male.
Tech Specs: Canon 80D (F11, 1/250, ISO 100) + a Canon MP-E 65mm macro lens (set to over 2x) + a diffused MT-24EX (both flash heads on the Canon flash mount, E-TTL metering). This is a single, uncropped, frame taken hand held. I used an artificial flower to keep the background from being black.