The Story Behind the Photo

August 2023: Nature Macro

Bruce Harper

Camera/Lens  Canon R5/100mm Macro

F 4.5, 1/40 sec. ISO 100

Godox light on the left side (1/8 power) with a diffuser

Ever since I found this huge bumble bee dormant on my sidewalk (due to cold weather) and decided to bring it into the house to take some photos on some flowers my wife had, I have been relegated to the porch for all macro involving live subjects.  Apparently, while I was busy getting my camera/tripod set up the bee warmed up and decided that was a good time to fly around the kitchen.

So that is how I found myself on the porch (my other subject was a jumping spider).  Leaf and flower were picked from the garden and held in place with alligator clips.  Water drop was applied with a small “blunt” needle/syringe.  It was one of the hottest days of the summer, and I could see the water drop shrink in a matter of seconds when placed on the leaf.  To remedy the shrinkage issue, I made a solution of water/glycerin (50/50) which seemed to do the trick long enough to take several photos.

Photo adjusted in LR:  added exposure, increased shadows, reduced clarity, cropped the image.

I think the most significant adjustment was using Topaz AI to sharpen the image.  That was the first time I had ever tried Topaz for sharpening, and I was impressed with how easy it was, and the results. The image below shows the refracted water drop before/after sharpening with Topaz.