May 29, 2008

Thistle Thursday

Thistle Thursday1Thistle Thursday2Thistle Thursday3


Thistle Thursday1


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14 comments:

Rhea said...

You have the best macro pictures I've seen, I swear. Amazing photos! I love purple thistles. They're so striking. My mom collects them and puts them in her kitchen...but apparently they start to really stink. It drives her husband crazy. lol

Lisa said...

Just lovely. Thistles are magnificent. My dh is of Scottish descent, so they are even more special to us as they are the national emblem of Scotland.

How does that bee manage to fly with that load of pollen?!

Donna Boucher said...

Oh Susan.

Stats please.
Did you use a tripod?

That bottom picture is award winning!!!!!

Skeller said...

Thanks Rhea & Lisa. All the bees were quite loaded with pollen and they flew with ease.

Here ya go, Donna :-)

200 ISO
100 mm
f/5.0
1/800 sec.
exposure mode: manual

processing: cropped pretty close, added some contrast & sharpening.

Skeller said...

oops, forgot:

Tripod - YES!! I can't handhold for macro work.

Leslie said...

abosultely unbelievable
that bottom photo is award winning....

really awesome...

Keys to the Magic Travel said...

What lense do you use? Just amazing...beyond gorgeous...that bee...wow, oh, wow!

30seconds.blogs.com said...

What they all said. Stunning, gorgeous, unbelievable, and, of course, my favorite color.

Lisa~ said...

um.. I think you just spoke a foreign language dear Susan....

200 ISO
100 mm
f/5.0
1/800 sec.
exposure mode: manual

processing: cropped pretty close, added some contrast & sharpening.


yup.. I need to read more... yup...

*Ü* you have a true talent... the last picture is stunning... and as my 16 year would say... AMAZING!

tearese said...

wooah! You must have some macro lens on that camera. Nice.

Skeller said...

Thanks, All! Kat - the lens is the Canon 100mm 2.8 macro. I love it - it's a fantastic, sharp, wonderful lens.

Funny about this photo - my 8yo son asked me how I got this picture. So I told him. And he reiterated, "HOW did you get this?" The thing he was really asking was whether I was really that close to the bees (he hates & fears bees). And yes. I was really that close to the bees. But they were so very busy that they didn't mind me in the least. And, of course, the macro lens makes the bee appear closer/bigger than it actually is.

Heidi said...

I can't wait to show these photos to my son. We just studied pollination in biology. Nothing like an exquisite photo to bring the subject home. :)

Leslie said...

seriously just came back to look at this again. Susan I think this is your niche. I showed Nick his words were.... That is the most amazing photo EVER.... and he is picky.

Submission to some sort of nature of flora fauna magazine or competion is definetly in order. Hands down you would win. No joke.

Anonymous said...

WWOOWWZZZZZEERRRRR!