be-echinacea

Browsing through my always large pile of unprocessed shots I found one that I took at the beginning of August and it reminded me of why most of us take photos. As human beings we like to remember. We especially like to remember good things, good smells, good thoughts. Images trigger memories and emotions that is why some of the best images are ones that instill a reaction or memory in the viewer. This image of a bee collecting nectar from an echinacea flower brings back the memories of warmth, the smell of flowers and the buzz of insects, I actually feel like I’m standing in this garden of flowers all over again.

The photo was taken with one of my favorite lenses, the Tamron AF28-75mm F/2.8 and a 20mm extension tube. I was afraid that this lens would not perform as well as it had for me on a crop body, amazingly it still rivals the sharpness and contrast that I am able to achieve using my other Canon L series lenses, even at full frame. One of the biggest reasons I like the Tamron lens so much is its ability to focus so close to the subject. It also works really well with extension tubes. The dark background was achieved by using a bare off camera flash, set at 1/32 power, held about 18 inches from the flower. The flash is still much brighter than the ambient light so the background becomes dark.

Next time your taking a photo try thinking about what it means to you and what you might feel about it in a few months or even a few years. You will be surprised how that mental way of thinking about photography changes how you take pictures. ~ Click on the photo above to see it larger