It's been one of those unsettled days today, with showers passing, the wind getting up and then the next thing you know it's bright sunshine.
I thought I'd try a bit of macro photography, I have some apple trees down the garden and I love apple blossom (as well as the apples!), so I was photographing some of the flowers when I saw this little Bee, it was no bigger than my fingernail on my little finger, it was a right little cutie, although very quick, I only got this shot before it flew off.
Having never seen one of these, I started to do a bit of research and if my research is correct, it is a male Red Mason Bee, after doing research, it turns out these lovely creatures are becoming less common, so I am going to buy a Bee hotel for them, hoping to keep the species going.
When is a Bee not a Bee?
This little guy was also on the blossom, much easier to photograph than the Mason Bee. Just flying from flower to flower.
Again, I did a bit of research, but this seemed to take ages to find out what it was, at first I thought it was a rare/undiscovered species of none stinging bee.
Then it dawned on me, it was a hoverfly, Eristalis Tenax, also knows as the Common Drone Fly.
This is a cropped image, but I just love the way the hoverfly holds on to the blossom.
I didn't take many shots today, however, I am happy with the ones that I got. One thing I did discover was the sweet spot for my lens and camera.
The images were shot using a Sigma 105mm Macro lens, adapted from canon onto my Sony A7iii using the Sigma MC-11 adaptor.
The images were shot at ISO 100, F/14 with a shutter at 160sec, using a Yungnuo flash, these settings may be tweaked when the sun is fully out etc, but certainly that will be the settings I'll be using from now on (or around about those settings lol).
Thanks for taking time to read my post and I hope you enjoy looking at the world of macro, as I've said before, macro is like a telescope into an unseen world, very rewarding and addictive, especially as you don't have to go far to do this sort of photography.
Anyhow, thanks again and please click here to follow me on Instagram
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