Nature's Place

 
For anyone who read the schoolboy comics of the sixties in Ireland and England that is the ‘sound’ of a boy being bashed. Boy’s got bashed.

Today it means something else to me. Having spent some time at a photographic forum I have come to know B I F as the acronym for Birds or Bees In Flight.

They are a favourite ‘capture’ of the more accomplished photographers. There is a sense of accomplishment in getting them in focus, since that is not so easy.
 

I haven’t done well at all with birds but I got some B I F’s a few weeks ago.

It was just after the winter got here. The Passionfruit flowers were all but finished.

One day I went to get a few fruit from the plant and I noticed a couple of flowers were attracting bees in the last light of the day.

I got the camera and watched the bees for a little while to see what they were doing. I noticed they approached the flowers from one general direction and at roughly the same distance from me.

With this information I was armed for action, B I F action. So I set up an ambush.
 

I chose the most active flower and locked focus roughly where I thought the bee was going to enter it to collect the pollen.

I didn’t use a tripod, I used a stick planted in the ground which gave me vertical stability and enough to/fro manoeuvrability to change the point of focus at will – with focus locked.

As soon as the bee entered the field of view I shot, and shot again. As often as possible to increase the possibility of a good in focus image.

And it worked.
 

It’s a mechanical world, every action has a reaction, and it is predictable. As long as I have enough information, which I get from observation. And the ability to see my intention through.

The same goes for my own self, my own mind, as long as I can observe objectively. Not as easy to do as it is said.
 

Bee’s love pollen, whatever else can be said of them, they love it. And they will collect it for as long as they can before going home for the night. It is what they do.

And I love them for it, apart from the fact I love the honey they make. A wonderful food from a wonderful creature’s love for the work it is made for.

When there is such a wonderful flower as the Passionfruit flower to collect the pollen from we are truly blessed. And not only for the opportunity to capture some B I F’s.
 

Thank you Bee, thank you Flower. Gratitude for the simple things cuts through a world of pain.

When the need arises.
 
Copyright Reserved / Mark Berkery