In the past few weeks I have been trying a variety of subjects, mostly flowers, but also some of their "visitors". I have found photographing bees to bee very difficult. It is very hard to get a bee to sit still for a photo. They like to fly around, I guess checking out the best pollen in the neighborhood. When you do get a bee to stand still for you, such as the one above, there is a limited amount of time to get the focus right before they move again, and then there is an issue with the contrast. Some cameras seem to focus on bright subjects and ignore dark subjects. Since most bees are dark colors, they get lost and the camera focuses on the flower they are resting on. Another issue I have once I do get a bee in focus and sitting still long enough for a photo is that they tend to collect pollen with their heads, therefore, the least flattering side is showing. Sunflowers seem to be a good spot to catch bees since they are open and allow for access from multiple sides.

 

I’m using my new lens and it seems to be helping. I am still very limited with how close I can be to a subject, but when I get a subject in focus, the details aren’t lost anymore, making macro photography worth doing. Another thing I am seeing with the new lens is that there is no blue hue around the edges of the photos anymore. With my old 2 element lens I had a lot of "cheap glass" issues. This one is super clear and brings out details nicely.