A Carpenter's Passion

[riddim_maker]

Passion flora are in full bloom around the house these days and naturally
I just could not resist it's flamboyance.
http://riddimmaker.smugmug.com/photos/163086247-O.jpg

Apparently I'm not the only one attracted to this unusual flower
http://riddimmaker.smugmug.com/photos/163082363-O.jpg

http://riddimmaker.smugmug.com/photos/163082386-O.jpg

A little pollen rubdown won't hurt
http://riddimmaker.smugmug.com/photos/163082424-O.jpg

How about some company while you're at it
http://riddimmaker.smugmug.com/photos/163082460-O.jpg

I guess Carpenter bees are not alone in their attraction to this flower
http://riddimmaker.smugmug.com/photos/163082339-O.jpg
(composite)

[Richard]

Wow! Fantastic series. :clap:clap:clap

Cheers,

[Ric Grupe]

Wow is the first thing that came to my mind too!

Great stuff, Russ.:thumb

[Skippy]

Passion flora are in full bloom around the house these days and naturally
I just could not resist it's flamboyance.
Apparently I'm not the only one attracted to this unusual flower
A little pollen rubdown won't hurt
How about some company while you're at it
I guess Carpenter bees are not alone in their attraction to this flower
(composite)

Gooooooooooood Heavens! :huh :huh I ... I .... I liiiiiiiike :clap :ivar
Those eyes! Those Wings! Did I meantion the Eyes already :jawdrop
Truly stunning work ... incredible shots even ... getting back to the Eyes.. WOW even gawwwwwwwd words escape me.

Man what a Series !!
I'm gob smacked even ........... I love all of them :nod .... Skippy :D
.

[GonzoBernelli]

What THEY said!

I really like the depth of focus in your shots - not something seen very much in the macro work i have seen elsewhere.

[Maestro]

Jaw-droppingly beautiful. You handled the exposure and narrow DOF very well.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v116/maestros/Smilies/WhoaMan.gif

[raptorcaptor]

Excellent photos Russ! :clap Great detail in the flying cornuts!

[kdog]

Wow :wow Never seen anything like it! :huh

Amazing compositions. Where'd you find that flower? I know you've been working on your macro technique. Well you can stop now. :D They just don't get any better than that. :bow

You'll have to show me how you do that some time. :deal

-joel

[Dick on Aruba]

Jaw-droppingly beautiful. You handled the exposure and narrow DOF very well.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v116/maestros/Smilies/WhoaMan.gif

I have to agree here.

Thanks for sharing,

Dick.

[bfjr]

Whoa Russ best dang bee shots I've seen :clap :wow :thumb

Is this with the setup you used when we were bflying :D ??

[nikos]

I've never seen such a beautiful flower.

Awesome stuff there :thumb

[PhilH]

These are superb, EXIF's please :dunno

[ShepsMom]

:bow :bow :bow :bow :bow :bow :bow

[saurora]

:jawdrop Holey-moley!!!! The quality of these shots is beyond description! Awesome Russ!!!

[leaforte]

Amazing shots. It's great to see 'up close' the actual collecting of the pollen on the backs of the bee's. Quite a symbiotic (sp?) relationship. Again, amazing.

[Skippy]

Wow so these bees are in fact huge, are they called Carpenter Bees for a reason??

What exactly do they do?
They look dang big enough to carry a hammer and nails gawwdd :rofl

I've never seen these bees before, are they related to the bumble bee family?

The Passion Fruit Vine yeilds a very unusual flower doesn't it :D
....I'm still amazed with this series of images :clap .... Skippy
.

[riddim_maker]

Wow! Fantastic series. :clap:clap:clap

Cheers,
Thanks Richard

[riddim_maker]

Wow is the first thing that came to my mind too!

Great stuff, Russ.:thumb
Thanks Ric

[riddim_maker]

Wow so these bees are in fact huge, are they called Carpenter Bees for a reason??

What exactly do they do?
They look dang big enough to carry a hammer and nails gawwdd :rofl

I've never seen these bees before, are they related to the bumble bee family?

The Passion Fruit Vine yeilds a very unusual flower doesn't it :D
....I'm still amazed with this series of images :clap .... Skippy
.
Thanks Skippy,
the Carpenter bee, so named because it burrows and builds its nest in soft or decaying wood, is about the size of a Bumble bee (about an inch or more in length). I'm not sure about the relationship to the Bumble bee though, they seem to be of different genus: Carpenter bee (Xylocopa), Bumble bee (Bombus). They do look quite menacing up close, but seem pretty docile (lucky for me otherwise I would be covered in welts by now:rofl ) This was also my first experience photographing the Carpenter bee. They are indeed awesome, especially their eyes. Thanks again Skippy:thumb

[riddim_maker]

What THEY said!

I really like the depth of focus in your shots - not something seen very much in the macro work i have seen elsewhere.
Thank you for your kind comments, Gonzo

[jonh68]

Beautiful:clap

[riddim_maker]

Jaw-droppingly beautiful. You handled the exposure and narrow DOF very well.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v116/maestros/Smilies/WhoaMan.gif
:rofl Love that eye-popping smile
Thanks Stephen

[riddim_maker]

Excellent photos Russ! :clap Great detail in the flying cornuts!Thanks Glenn

[riddim_maker]

Wow :wow Never seen anything like it! :huh

Amazing compositions. Where'd you find that flower? I know you've been working on your macro technique. Well you can stop now. :D They just don't get any better than that. :bow

You'll have to show me how you do that some time. :deal

-joel
STOP, MACRO PHOTOGRPHY:huh :cry ...NEVEEEEEERRRRRR...:rofl
Thanks for the compliment, Joel
I would love to get together and do some shooting again.
BTW, the flower is from the passion fruit tree (or vine).

[riddim_maker]

I have to agree here.

Thanks for sharing,

Dick.
Thanks Dick
good to see you posting and commenting again

[riddim_maker]

Whoa Russ best dang bee shots I've seen :clap :wow :thumb

Is this with the setup you used when we were bflying :D ??
Thanks Ben
I was just trying to emulate the one you posted a while ago, which I thought was awesome.
And yes, I use the same setup, won't do macro without it :D

[Harryb]

Those are just too good :super

[RogersDA]

Thanks Ben
I was just trying to emulate the one you posted a while ago, which I thought was awesome.
And yes, I use the same setup, won't do macro without it :D

Care to share? :ear:ear

[JohnDC]

Really nice photos, Russ. Great composition, depth of field, light, the works. What f-stop were you using? Have the fritilliary butterflies moved in yet? If you haven't seen them, they look a little like monarch butterflies without the black lines, and their caterpillars love to eat passifloras. A few years ago (before I got into this kind of photography), the fritillaries swarmed my passion fruit vine and layed eggs all over it. I gladly let the caterpillars eat up most of the leaves, then they metamorphosed into more butterflies. The leaves grew back--a better deal than the carpenter bees eating up the external woodwork on my house (my experience in Florida).

[riddim_maker]

I've never seen such a beautiful flower.

Awesome stuff there :thumb
Much appreciated

[riddim_maker]

These are superb, EXIF's please :dunno
Thanks for your comment and inquiry Phil
Please click on the link below for more info
http://riddimmaker.smugmug.com/gallery/1259201#163082363

[riddim_maker]

:bow :bow :bow :bow :bow :bow :bow
I'm honored, thank you Marina

[riddim_maker]

:jawdrop Holey-moley!!!! The quality of these shots is beyond description! Awesome Russ!!!
Thank you, Susan

[riddim_maker]

Amazing shots. It's great to see 'up close' the actual collecting of the pollen on the backs of the bee's. Quite a symbiotic (sp?) relationship. Again, amazing.
Thanks for viewing and commenting

[riddim_maker]

Beautiful:clap
Thanks John

[riddim_maker]

Those are just too good :super
Much appreciated, Harry

[riddim_maker]

Care to share? :ear:ear
Nothing complicated, just a defused flash on a bracket.

http://www.tripodhead.com/images/mb2.gif

I use the Lumiquest "mini softbox" to defuse the flash

[riddim_maker]

Really nice photos, Russ. Great composition, depth of field, light, the works. What f-stop were you using? Have the fritilliary butterflies moved in yet? If you haven't seen them, they look a little like monarch butterflies without the black lines, and their caterpillars love to eat passifloras. A few years ago (before I got into this kind of photography), the fritillaries swarmed my passion fruit vine and layed eggs all over it. I gladly let the caterpillars eat up most of the leaves, then they metamorphosed into more butterflies. The leaves grew back--a better deal than the carpenter bees eating up the external woodwork on my house (my experience in Florida).Thanks John,
hey, it was nice shooting with you the other day.
I've been looking forward to seeing and photographing the fritillary butterflies this year again, but so far they're a no-show.
Maybe later in the year, but in the meantime the Carpenter bees stole the show.
In terms of the t-stop, most of these were shot at f16.
Looking forward to seeing you again soon at BC

[Briggie]

:jawdrop There's really nothing i can say that hasn't been said already!!! WOW WOW WOW!!!!.....wow!!!! What really amazes me is the complexity of the flower; how the anther points down, to make sure it rubs against the bug's back... Nature never ceases to amaze me!! What bug wouldn't want to pollinate such a lovely flower!! In the third picture, call me crazy, but the bee kinda has a awe struck look on its face ;-)

All i can say is.... YOU ROCK!!!

Cheers!
Brige

[William M Porter]

What THEY said!

I really like the depth of focus in your shots - not something seen very much in the macro work i have seen elsewhere.

I agree with Gonzo and everybody else. Great shots. I took some shots of passion flowers and bees myself not too long ago but I'm not going to post mine for comparison!

According to the EXIF Viewer Firefox add-on, you were shooting at f/9, 1/1000sec, ISO 400 @ 100mm, and you used the flash. Is that right? The f/9 aperture accounts for the DOF that GonzoBernelli rightly notes in your shots. And the flash let you get that fast shutter AND the wider aperture. I'm going to try something like those settings here myself a.s.a.p. and I hope I can improve my own shot. Thanks for sharing - and for setting the standard so high!

Will

[gfxartist]

It's been said a million times, but.....WOW. Absolutely beeutiful! :bow They are truly inspiring photographs!

[riddim_maker]

:jawdrop There's really nothing i can say that hasn't been said already!!! WOW WOW WOW!!!!.....wow!!!! What really amazes me is the complexity of the flower; how the anther points down, to make sure it rubs against the bug's back... Nature never ceases to amaze me!! What bug wouldn't want to pollinate such a lovely flower!! In the third picture, call me crazy, but the bee kinda has a awe struck look on its face ;-)

All i can say is.... YOU ROCK!!!

Cheers!
Brige
Now that you've mentioned it "the bee kinda has a awe struck look on its face"
I have to agree. The flower closes at night and opens up again around noon,
it 's a treat to watch how the anthers pop, one by one, from the upward facing position back to the downward.
Thank you Briggie for your inspiring comment.

[riddim_maker]

I agree with Gonzo and everybody else. Great shots. I took some shots of passion flowers and bees myself not too long ago but I'm not going to post mine for comparison!

According to the EXIF Viewer Firefox add-on, you were shooting at f/9, 1/1000sec, ISO 400 @ 100mm, and you used the flash. Is that right? The f/9 aperture accounts for the DOF that GonzoBernelli rightly notes in your shots. And the flash let you get that fast shutter AND the wider aperture. I'm going to try something like those settings here myself a.s.a.p. and I hope I can improve my own shot. Thanks for sharing - and for setting the standard so high!

Will
The above mentioned setting is correct for shots #2 & 3.
However, in these shots I actually exposed for the ambient light in manual mode and used the flash to fill-in the shadows.
Good luck and drop me a PM to let me know how it worked.

[riddim_maker]

It's been said a million times, but.....WOW. Absolutely beeutiful! :bow They are truly inspiring photographs!
It can't be said often enough and, each and every time, it is very much appreciated:thumb

[RandySmugMug]

no words left for me so here's another WOW

[thw]

Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! :clap:thumb