A Photo a Day by Bill Heller

Apis mellifera Photos
 
Thursday, September 4, 2008

Cleared for Landing

 Sometimes I have to chase them forever to get the shot I want. But this one was very cooperative. I got quite a few nice shots It's always nice to work with good models.

 
Sunday, August 24, 2008

Nursery Worker

 Whenever we go to the Monterey area we like to stop at the nurseries in Carmel Valley. We've found some really different plants there. And of course there are always plenty of bees and hummers to chase.

 
Saturday, November 24, 2007

Echinacea Honey

 So I wonder how Echinacea Honey would taste?

It still amazes me how fuzzy honey bees are if you look close. I guess that's why I like chasing them around with my camera so much. It is nearly impossible to see at this size but there are actually furs between the segments of her eyes.

 
Sunday, July 22, 2007

Zinnia Bee

 Well I usually like to try to get a variety of shots on the site, but I have been experimenting with my macro lenses lately and bees are my favorite macro subject. Unfortunately, they seem to be most active around here in the really REALLY hot part of the day. It was actually more work than you would think to get this shot.

 
Friday, July 20, 2007

Echinacea Bee

 I went out today with the intent to try out my new memory card for my camera. I wanted to fill it up once quick to make sure it was working well. I can't think of a faster way to burn a roll of film (or fill up a memory card) than finding some beautiful flowers covered in bees.

I really liked a lot of the shots I took, but this one stood out. I love the background colors, and the bee is absolutely fuzzy!

 
Saturday, June 16, 2007

Pollen Covered Minus One Second

 This shot was taken less than a second before last Thursday's photo of the day, and is in response to the feedback on that shot. :-)

No doubt there was too much pollen in her eye! She had to stop to rub it.

 
Thursday, June 7, 2007

Pollen Covered

 Well she wants you to think she has been working hard. But actually she just got done raiding a bag of Doritos.

The hummers have been elusive this week, but the bees have sure put on a show to make up for it!

 
Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Evening Bee

 My intention was to chase hummingbirds. But they must not have been very hungry tonight. Of course the bees are always good for a few nice shots.

 
Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Cup of Gold Nectar

 Kind of like The Hound when she gets into her food "Face First".

This bee was very cooperative. She spent a lot of time on each blossom. I guess she wanted to make sure she did not miss anything.

This was the only flower on the plant that had the cool "crumpled" look. All of the other flowers were more cup-like. Fitting, since their name in Spanish (Copa de Oro) means "Cup of Gold."

 
Thursday, May 17, 2007

Daisy Bee

 I was up to one of my favorite pastimes last weekend, chasing bees. This one was quite cooperative. She was at a local Nursery so there was plenty of things for her to eat!

 
Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Popular Rose

 It looks like there's gonna be a fight!

Actually, they got along really well and shared the flower. At one point there was even a third bee.

I have been known to chase bees, but in this case I was drawn to this scene by the same thing they were. There are a lot of beautiful roses out there but the yellow/red variegated varieties are my favorites!

 
Friday, August 18, 2006

Milk-Bee

 In case you were wondering what the flower looked like that caught my attention in yesterday's photo. (I know it was just keeping you awake all night! :0) This is about 6" further up. And the bee? Well, she was nice enough to fly in right after I was done finishing up with yesterday's subject!

I actually got quite a few interesting shots of the bee working on these flowers. I picked this one because it shows her wings so nicely.

 
Monday, July 31, 2006

Hovering Bee

 She's been busy! I am surprised she can still fly with all that pollen on her legs.

 
Saturday, July 22, 2006

Bee Dazzler

 The bees have been wild this year. And, as I have yet to be stung, they are still one of my favorite subjects. Actually, I love photographing flowers and the bees add some life.

 
Thursday, July 20, 2006

Serendipity

 It is really interesting to me to see the motion in this shot. The bee is actually leaning into the turn like a bike rider.

I was framing up the shot of the flower when the bee flew in from the left. She made a beautiful arc into the photo and I hit the shutter release as many times as I could!

 
Monday, July 10, 2006

Glowing Bee

 Today, when we took The Hound for her afternoon walk we bumped into one of our neighbors. She was working in her garden like she does almost every day. Part of her garden was particularly attractive to the bees, so I took the opportunity to get a few bee portraits.

 
Sunday, April 16, 2006

Honey Bee Hovering

 This was actually from a Hound walk from a couple of weeks ago. I try not to chase too many bees while she is with me, but this guy was really showing off right beside the sidewalk.

 
Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Freesia Buzz

 This image was one shot before yesterday's photo of the day.

It was a good walk with the hound. Maybe because it has finally warmed up a little during the day. (Personally I liked the snow! But I am not conscious early enough in the morning to go play in it before it melts :)

 
Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Bee in a Lavender Field

 AKA "Rabbit Ears."

This is a beautiful Lavender field at Lotusland in Montecito.

 
Monday, January 2, 2006

Hovering Bee

 I love the pollen on her legs, and the tight blossom right below her. It looks like something from a beautiful cake. :-D

 
Monday, November 7, 2005

Hovering Bee

 If you have been watching the site for a while you know that I like to chase bees. So far this has turned out well for me. I assume my luck will run out eventually, but for now it's making for some really nice shots.

This one even made it to one of my greeting cards.

 
Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Euphorbia Bee

 I took this in Balboa Park in San Diego, while visiting La Jolla for a very enjoyable Christmas vacation a couple of years ago. Been workin' pretty much all the time lately, so I thought I would take this opportunity to day dream about another nice trip. :-)

 
Thursday, May 19, 2005

Now That's a Stinger!

 I like to chase bees, as I mentioned before. So far I have been fortunate and none of my subjects have stung me. I suppose it is only a matter of time, but when I get the image I am looking for... I kind of think the feeling could make up for the pain of a sting.

 
Monday, February 28, 2005

Rosemary Honey

 I love to chase bees. My best friend thinks I'm crazy, and she's probably right.

 
Saturday, January 15, 2005

Lavender Honey

 Lotusland is a wonderful place. Kind of a botanic gardens gone wild. The last time I was there I became a member, so I can go back and take a few (hundred) more rolls of film.

 
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