We have Liftoff

[AlanLichty]

A western honeybee heading off to another bloom after an echinops visit.

C&C always welcome.

 

[Michael13]

Wow - tack sharp this one! And perfect timing as well.

What is your background, looks almost like a studio BG drape!

 

[AlanLichty]

Wow - tack sharp this one! And perfect timing as well.

What is your background, looks almost like a studio BG drape!

Thanks Michael - this was shot with what I call "bird mode" camera preset I built (30FPS RAW burst mode, 1/2000s, AI servo autofocus set for critter recognition) coupled with a 500mm focal length. End result is a very shallow DoF and a pile of shots to choose from for this frame. The background is a concrete paver walkway OOF.

 

[Michael Liskay]

Very pretty shot Allan!

 

[AlanLichty]

Very pretty shot Allan!

Many Thanks Michael!

 

[JimFox]

You got one Alan! Awesome! Love this guy lifting off. Great detail, and love the amount of DOF you do have.

 

[AlanLichty]

You got one Alan! Awesome! Love this guy lifting off. Great detail, and love the amount of DOF you do have.

Thanks Jim - this is one of the reasons I get excited about echinops blooms every year since I get lots of opportunities for shots like this one.

 

[MonikaC]

Very nice shot, Alan!
You might consider editing out the leaves on the bottom or blurring them more as the rest of the background is a homogenous grey that otherwise lets the eye rest solely on the pollinator & bloom.

 

[AlanLichty]

Very nice shot, Alan!
You might consider editing out the leaves on the bottom or blurring them more as the rest of the background is a homogenous grey that otherwise lets the eye rest solely on the pollinator & bloom.

Thanks Monika - good call on the leaves at the bottom. I should have removed them in hindsight.