Honey bee eye

Images taken in a controlled environment or with a posed subject. All subject types.

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dgarnick
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Honey bee eye

Post by dgarnick »

I work with museums to create imagery for exhibitions. I'm currently starting on a project illustrating insect morphology as it relates to insects' behaviors and environments. I post-process the photos to give them the look of lithographic prints. The goal is to engage the public, and illustrate specific features. To do this, I use portrait lighting techniques. I also crush the tonal range (i.e. "posterization"), and perform other travesties that appall a lot of photographers :)

I realize my goals for image results are very different from those of most members here. I admire the work I see on this site, and I'm learning a lot here as I'm a novice at working smaller than 1:1. I'm just curious how folks here view this type of treatment. Honest opinions appreciated. The photo is the eye of a honey bee (Apis mellifera).

bee-eye.jpg
David Garnick

leonardturner
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Re: Honey bee eye

Post by leonardturner »

The canopy of photography/processing covers a broad area embracing many specific purposes and uses. While not providing maximal nuance or a platform for comparative analysis, I can easily see how this type of image would serve the purpose for which you produced it quite well. Impactful, and nicely done.

Leonard

dgarnick
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Re: Honey bee eye

Post by dgarnick »

leonardturner wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 4:24 am
While not providing maximal nuance or a platform for comparative analysis, I can easily see how this type of image would serve the purpose for which you produced it quite well.
Well put, Leonard.
David Garnick

MarkSturtevant
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Re: Honey bee eye

Post by MarkSturtevant »

I was about to say that, but Leonard beat me to it! :^o
Doing this would be like a dream job for me, btw.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

dgarnick
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Re: Honey bee eye

Post by dgarnick »

MarkSturtevant wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 11:12 pm
Doing this would be like a dream job for me, btw.
Mark - It is truly wonderful because of the fascinating subject matter, feeling like my work matters, and working with great people who are knowledgeable and dedicated. The catch? I can afford to do this because I'm retired. The projects are often dependent on grants, and sometimes my payment works out to about minimum wage.
David Garnick

Gilles Benoit
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Re: Honey bee eye

Post by Gilles Benoit »

David, the bee seems to have hairs coming out of its eye. Is this the case, or is it due to focus stacking?

rjlittlefield
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Re: Honey bee eye

Post by rjlittlefield »

The hairs really are coming out of the eyes. It is a characteristic feature that separates bumble bees (bare eyes) from honey bees (hairy eyes).

The image is excellent, by the way!

--Rik

dgarnick
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Re: Honey bee eye

Post by dgarnick »

Thanks for the kind words, Rik. In the case of the honey bee, the eye hairs are spaced at a distance that is about the size of dandelion pollen grains - probably not coincidental.

I lit strongly from one side, with a weaker fill light on the other side (or maybe just white card stock to bounce in the fill light - I don't remember). This emphasizes contours and texture, but obscures some detail. I use polarizing filters to remove glare on the dark side, and retain a bit of shine on the bright side.
David Garnick

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