Dr Tim is an entomologist and happens to be an expert in Australian native stingless bees. He's just commenced opening an old rotten stump containing a hive of Trigonia carbonaria, as part of a "rescue" process, relocating the bees out of harm's way, and a few of them are just starting to show their displeasure.
Since they don't sting, they seem to sort of hover in front of one, and buzz things like "Come on, there's a nice chap, put the axe down and step away..."
It's OK, the old log they've lived in for decades is now gone and they have a lovely new apartment, safe from the bulldozer's grasp.
For more information on stingless bees, visit Tim Heard's website; sugarbag.net
7 comments:
For starters, I love the hat.
What are those tuft of white floating around? They look more like biting-midgies than they look like bees!
Washed out were we? Did not sound so charming from even way down here, watching that thing swirl on BoM was unnerving. But I gather not much damage occurred ...
This one is a ripper. I don't know how you dared to get so close, even if they are stingless.
The reason Tim is so free of the little beggars is that they were swarming in my hair (or what's left of it).
It reminded me of being on a summer picnic in Canberra really, only there were bees instead of blowies.
Julie, the stingless bees are little fellas indeed, there are one or two there in perfect profile and you can actually see the bee character! I do rather enjoy having these little blokes around.
Now with a few hundred mm of rain due over the next few days, I wonder if I'll get out!
Oh, the white tufts I suspect are bees in the sunlight and in the foreground out of the Depth of Field, so out of focus.
It was a hard choice to make, but I think fading the background at the expense of a few bees was the right one.
Yes yes, I can see the little white blighters now. I agree it is a ripper of a photo and love the DoF effects. Some of them are just so well defined, even without zooming in I can see perfect outlines. And Tim does not even seem to be twitching ...
Take care with driving in the rain and through swollen areas.
This is exactly what I want to achieve, the placing of the subject, the clarity, the blur of the background. I love it.
Small world - only just noticed this one as it floated past on the widget on your daily photo page... and I thought..hang on - I know him! And great shot too. That depth of field thing I am yet to master. Is it an effect you put in afterwards or with the camera?
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