Sunday, December 28, 2008

Who else gives you a Bee's backside?


I chased this busy bee all over the gum flowers that day with the macro, and loved every minute of it. Well, I say every minute, when I got doused with sticky nectar there was a couple panicky minutes trying to not let it get onto the camera. But otherwise, it was a great morning.

The Loirkeets had as usual scolded me soundly and flown off, which although dissappointing, did allow me and the bugs some quality time. There is another bee shot tommorrow for all you bee fans out there.

We are home! I will be telling you all about it as soon as I can organize myself and some photos. I took 800 photos, some of them while we were gravity's plaything, so they wont be clear enough to share....ah, good times!

Most are pretty medicore as far as a brief once over appears. The longer I use the 'long nose' lens (Canon Zoom EF 75-300mm 1:4-5.6 III) the more ambivalent I am about it. One day I use it and get fab clear shots and the next day Im back on "Amateur Hour Presents: The Amazing Blurred Photos of Lavender".

There is no hand holding this lens, it has got to be on a tri-pod or similar if you are zooming all the way out to 300 on it. WAH! Birds, animals and strangers in car parks dont like to wait around for you to set up gizmos - heck - they fly off, run away or start swinging things as soon as they see a camera. But again, I digress...

Still having MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH GOOGLE READER, so if I havent been round yet, I will be as soon as I can. The dang thing just freezes up IE7+ and the only thing I can do is shut off the power and boot up again from scratch. Its terminally annoying and I may have to move to another reader if it doesnt clear up - lifes too short to sit around re-booting. This is the problem with groovy gadgets, you get used to them and then they take you round the back and work you over....end grumble for today?

9 comments:

Jan said...

Incredible photo! To be there in person would be even cooler! It is a sight to 'bee-hold'!!
Jan

Lavender said...

Thanks LOL Jan, good one!
Indeed it was a great show, and bee made a great moving target to practice using this new lens set up. If only every morning could be so much fun!

Ces Adorio said...

I totally relate. I would probably be chasing every little creature including ants! I have to get a macro lens. Glad the nectar did not get into the camera. That would have been a spoiler! Keep your photos coming. Isn't it nice to be sleeping in your own comfortable bed?

Lavender said...

Ces I guarantee you would be chasing all sorts and loving it, its too much fun!! Teeheehee
Yes, it is very good to be in our own bed again, theres no place like home!
If not tommorrow, then tuesday I will get a chance to go out with this lens again - heres hoping there is plenty of 'prey' :)

sandy said...

Hope to see more photos! Love this one.

You know, I've been having major problems with IE7...and ...very irritating ones. Hope you get it figured out.

kj said...

lavender, it is so nice to have you back in action. what an intimate shot this is: i wonder if the bee felt the same way? :)

i got an upgraded canon for christmas, no interchangable lens but a 20x zoom, which i hope will be a treat for me. i'm going to read the manual this time and perhaps honor some of the technical aspects of photography i've never even bothered to consider. here's to a happy new year!

Lavender said...

Sandy Thanks Sandy! Interesting that you are having troubles with IE7, the google reader thing seems to have gotten majorly worse since that last critical update from microsoft, perhaps the two programs are interfering with each other, I also recently upgraded my antivirus, so, its a real mess! LOL Such is life with computers, eh? Will sing out if i find anything helps with it, just FYI Cheers!

KJ Oh yes, it must have, this one was very co-operative whilst others were not, so, must have been the bee for me teeheehee
Good for you! Reading the manual is the best way to get the best out of a camera - but I confess, I have to make time for it LOL And Im still working my way thru mine, its a year now LOL Hope yours is a shorter, easier to read manual - but there will be stuff in there that will save you alot of sighing, Mwah! :)

Anonymous said...

Is this a little premature gum fruit the bee settles on? LOL - You are chasing the bee all around it with the macro. Wait a little and you will get a shot of the bees head on the turn!

Lavender said...

Areeiro Ive often thought I should do a 'series' on gum blossoms, because they are SO UNLIKE all other flowers - perhaps I should look to see if I have enough photos to do that with...but in the meantime:
The bee is walking on an unopened flower, a bud! Later, a cap will come off the top, and the flower will unfurl...wild stuff these gum flowers! (The indeed the trees themselves, they keep thier leaves all year round, but many shed thier bark seasonally!!! Thier BARK!!! Its totally different 'down under' LOL