bees

How to Shoot Macro Photos with Regular Lenses and Extension Tubes

Macro photography works well with conventional lenses and inexpensive extension tubes. The combination achieves 0.3x to 0.5x magnification. Depth of field is much greater with these moderate magnifications than at the 1x magnification possible with macro lenses.

Using a Flash for Insect Photography

I've shot thousands of pics of insects without flash and tens of thousands with flash. When the lighting is bright and sunny, the results can be good without flash. But when I venture out in pursuit of photo ops, I often encounter poorly lighted situations which are better with flash. If you study the work of experienced insect photographers, you'll find that most of them use flash.

These Beautiful Photos Highlight the Incredible Diversity of Bees

It's safe to say natural history photographer Clay Bolt is obsessed with North American bees. What began with a few photos in his backyard in South Carolina back in 2014 has turned into a full blown project aimed at helping document the staggering diversity of North American bees.

The First 21 Days of a Bee’s Life Seen in 60 Seconds

Here's a fantastic 6-minute TED Talk by photographer Anand Varma, who recently became involved in the preservation of bees after being asked by National Geographic to shoot a story on them.

As part of the work, Varma shot a fascinating time-lapse that shows the first 21 days of a bee's life in just 60 seconds. Seen between 2 and 3 minutes in the video above, the video offers a closeup look at how bees grow from tiny larvae into mature honeybees inside their brood cells.

Andrew Newey’s Spectacular Photographs of Honey Hunters in Nepal

Andrew Newey has covered some of the most incredible and rare cultures and traditions. From Mongolian eagle hunters to tribal festivals in Papua New Guinea, Newey knows how to truly capture one-of-a-kind images, documenting the cultures and traditions that may not exist in a century.

This time around he's traveled to the foot of the Himalayas in Nepal to document the Gurung tribe's bi-annual tradition of gathering honey.

Stunning Macro Photos of Bees Courtesy of the US Geological Survey

Once in a while we stumble across a great archive of public domain or creative commons imagery that just blows us away. Sometimes it's historical photos, other times beautiful photos from space, but this time around it's neither.

Thanks to the US Geological Survey's Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab Flickr, we now have access to over 1,200 gorgeous macro photos of bees and other insects.