I’ll admit right up front that when I saw that “Cover Art” was the theme for this week’s photo challenge, I had no idea what I was going to do. Then I thought about what I have been shooting lately. A quick look through my files, and you would see that nature images is what I have been focusing on. Then I was looking at this image that I processed a week or so ago:
And there is my cover art for an article on the plight of bees. I was thinking in terms of a series of images. The one above looks nice and cheery and the truth is that beehives aren’t thriving lately. I wanted to make the image that conveys that peril. The above image was shot in a local cemetery and I had used an f-stop of 3.5 to blur out the background. I also tweaked the exposure a bit and sharpened it in Photoshop.
My first thought was to convert it to a infrared image, I thought that would create a surreal, something is a bit off kind of feel. I did that by creating a black and white layer in Photoshop and then using the infrared setting. I didn’t like the outcome, but I did like the black and white version, which was the first step in creating this image:
While I liked the tone of the image, I felt that it was too sharp and that blurring would help create a sense of the bees disappearing. So this image has a field blur filter applied to it.
I liked it, but was curious to see what a similar filter setting would look like in color. So, I created another version:
Now I’m not sure which version I like best. Which version most suggests to you that something has gone wrong for the bee population? Feel free to let me know in the comments section!
Cheers!
Beautiful choices 🙂
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Thanks!
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Great shot. You got it covered.
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Thank you 🙂
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The last one is just an out of focus image which just suggests an armature attempt. The bee on top of the black and white one is in focus, so I choose that one. Bees pollinate one third of all our crops. Without them, we wood bee in serious trouble! Hope you’ve found this helpful! Excellent image BTW… Tell us, did you use a flash? I have the Canon 5D… I know it’s meant to be a portrait camera, including all extras cost me $8,000, and even with the shutter wide open, on a tripod, at fast speeds and a clear 50 mm macro lens, a locked up mirror, and a shutter release cable, I still get blurry bees. What am I doing wrong?
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Thank you for your honest comments. Perhaps keeping the bees in focus, but selectively blurring the background might have been a better approach with the last image.
I did not use a flash, it was super bright out, so no flash needed. In this case I am using a long zoom lens and it is a handheld image. Reading what you wrote, my question to you would be are you setting a single point of focus. I went and found another blog that was talking about what I was thinking about and is written about the 5D, so here is the link:http://www.larissaphotography.com/blog/2011/01/setting-your-focus-point-on-a-canon-5d-mark-ii/
Cheers!
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I wonder if you could use the two color photos side by side to visually show the problem facing the bee population. Seems a shame to not use that first amazing shot in some way.
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Yes, I was thinking along those lines, that it would be a series of some kind. Like the first shot would be an “ideal world” type of shot and the other to represent the problem in some way.
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I think your book cover would look nice on my coffee table. 🙂
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Thanks!
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I think the second image, Amy. The blurring does suggest that the bees are disappearing.
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Thank you.
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While I get and see and understand what you are going for with the blur/disappearing I just love the first one. I hate to see those wings caught mid-flight lose their sharpness! How about cropping the feeding bee out and just have the one flying away? Sort of like the bees are leaving? Kind of? Either way I love it! 🙂
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Yeah, I like the flying away idea. Maybe I just need another image 🙂
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I like the b&w, but I would go for the first and third – first is how it should be, third suggests something is wrong.
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Thanks for your thoughts.
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Stay with the first version, Amy. Nice and vibrant colors. Don’t hide the flying bee with blur. It’s an important accent to the photo.
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Maybe if the background was selectively blurred? or someone also suggested another image entirely of a bee flying away.
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I like the first shot the best. Very nice that you made the bottom bee in focus too, just like the flowers. In that photo, the flowers and bee look so harmonious together. I was sort of wishing that you captured the bees’ wings fluttering furiously, in a blur. Maybe next time 😀
The third photo looks great too. In this photo, I feel drawn to the flowers. Very creative use of Photoshop.
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I have many blurred wing photos, it’s easy to get a bee in a blur, they are always on the move. 🙂
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In my experience, it seems a bit easier to catch flying bee in late summer, when it comes to the end of their year. IMHO they become less restless and a bit slower at tat time of the year. Or, as with other insects, too, in early morning. Because of the colder night they need some time to get on working temperature.
https://solaner.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/bsssssssssssss/
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That is a great shot, thanks for leaving a link to your post. You’re right about the timing of getting these critters 🙂
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I like the first photo best. If you want to show the decline in the bee population, I’m thinking that some dead bees would have been suitable for the cover.
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I’m thinking about what you said and a few years ago I did have a bunch of my neighbor’s honey bees die and I had to get rid of them. I was too distraught and didn’t think of taking a picture. They were beautiful, even dead, they had really pretty coloring.
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Perfect choices for the cover art ! I like the first one the most. The colors are so pleasing 🙂
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Thanks!
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If you ask me I would say the second one 🙂
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Thank you for saying so.
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What about making the bees B&W and leaving the rest of the photo in color. I would try this on photo #3
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That’s a really interesting idea.
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Amy … I do love the first photo. But, for the theme that you want, would it be possible to show the cemetery in the background? That might suggest the bees are in peril.
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That would be a great shot. Sitting here, I’m not really sure if it would work at this particular group of flowers, but if it didn’t surely I could find another spot where it would. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Very nice!
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Thanks!
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Well! Looks like your question generated a ton of suggestions 😍. If it were me, I’d use the first photo but I’d crop in very close and have just the colorful part of the flower and I’d have the bee in black and white. Just a thought – and you’ve gotten lots of them PJB!
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I know, I love the discussion about this particular challenge 🙂 The idea of combining black and white and color in one photo had not occurred to me, and I think it is a great idea. Thanks!
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well I had the chance to read all the comments (love when I get to do this on some posts) and I agree with spartacus about the third photo – and well, the first photo I absolutely love like many others – and I also agree with the idea that maybe a selective coloring would work the peril connection.
anyhow, that first photo is amazing – the close up of those proud little flowers (where their base petals make it feel like a little rocket – to me at least – especially the pair to the right of the left bee – they stand – angled – with such poise) and it is such an energizing shot.
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Thanks so much, and I have also really enjoyed all the comments left on this particular post. It’s just the kind of conversation I love having 🙂 I agree that the original shot is energizing, part of the reason it wouldn’t really work to show the peril the bees are in.
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yeah – I agree the connection is not necessarily there – and by the way – I also enjoyed that part – the attention to this very serious issue – because we have to to protect them… :)O ❤ ❤
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Thanks!
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Love the clarity and composition of the first one; however, if something is wrong, the last one is the choice!
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Thank you very much, I’m glad you like the first image.
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The first shot is exquisite indeed Amy! So much beauty and you’ve captured it in flight. I love it! Stunning capture hon. 😀
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Thanks so much!
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Beautiful images. I liked the first image with clear bees and flowers.
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Thank you 🙂
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